Julius Genachowski

Chairman of the FCC

Genachowski has been the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission since June 2009. Prior to his appointment, he spent more than 10 years working in the technology industry, co-founding LaunchBox Digital and Rock Creek Ventures. From 1997-2005, he was a senior executive at IAC/ InterActiveCorp. Genachowski has two decades of experience in public service and the private sector. Among other positions, he has served as chief counsel at the FCC, as a law clerk at the U.S. Supreme Court for Justices David Souter and William J. Brennan, and on the staff of the House select committee investigating Iran-Contra. He is also a certified Emergency Medical Technician, in the event you find yourself feeling very unwell at the conference.

Posts With Julius Genachowski

FCC Chairman Has New Tablet, but Same Script: More Spectrum!

Ina Fried in Mobile on January 11 at 3:13 pm PT

The call from Julius Genachowski was a familiar one, but his CES speech was novel in one way: He read from a Galaxy Tab rather than his familiar iPad.

FCC Chairman to Congress: Hands Off Unlicensed Spectrum

Ina Fried in Mobile on December 15, 2011 at 12:22 pm PT

Julius Genachowski makes the case that his agency needs the authority to regulate both the spectrum licensed to specific companies as well as other open bands of frequencies, such as Wi-Fi.

AT&T Says Its Merger Withdrawal Beat Out FCC to Hearing Vote

Greg Bensinger, Dow Jones Newswires in Mobile on November 25, 2011 at 9:44 am PT

AT&T Inc. said it withdrew its application with the Federal Communications Commission for approval of its planned T-Mobile USA takeover before commissioners had the opportunity to vote on a proposal to send the merger to a hearing for approval.

What Would T-Mobile Do With $3 Billion? We May Be About to Find Out.

Arik Hesseldahl in Enterprise on August 31, 2011 at 3:26 pm PT

Three billion dollars is what T-Mobile would collect as a break-up fee, assuming its merger with AT&T is not approved. We heard from the DOJ today. The FCC is also sounding less than enthusiastic.

U.S. Strikes Deals With Canada and Mexico for Spectrum Sharing in Border Areas

Ina Fried in Mobile on August 1, 2011 at 2:13 pm PT

The Federal Communications Commission said Monday it had reached accords with our neighbors to the north and south on sharing certain wireless spectrum in border areas.

Senator Seeks to Stop AT&T, T-Mobile Merger

Brent Kendall, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal in Mobile on July 20, 2011 at 11:07 am PT

A top Senate Democrat on antitrust matters on Wednesday called for the Justice Department and the Federal Communications Commission to block AT&T Inc.’s bid to acquire rival wireless carrier T-Mobile USA.

FCC Will Weigh Phone-Fee Rules

Amy Schatz, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal in Mobile on June 21, 2011 at 12:00 am PT

The Federal Communications Commission will begin considering new rules to prevent phone companies from adding unauthorized fees to consumers’ monthly bills.

FCC Hires a Hesse (But Not Dan) to Oversee Review of ATT-T-Mobile Deal

Ina Fried in Mobile on May 17, 2011 at 3:44 pm PT

The Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday said it had hired veteran antitrust lawyer Renata Hesse (no relation to Sprint CEO Dan Hesse) to oversee its review of AT&T’s plan to buy T-Mobile USA. Both the FCC and the Justice Department have to sign off on the deal, which is being fought by Sprint, among others.

France to Google: Your CEO Is a Hamster and Your "Rogue Street View Engineer" Smells of Elderberries

John Paczkowski in News on March 21, 2011 at 11:21 am PT

It’s a pittance to Google, but the $142,000 fine France’s data privacy regulator slapped the company with today for inadvertently harvesting consumer data with its Street View cars does set something of a precedent. Meted out by France’s Commission nationale de l’informatique et des libertés, or CNIL, the sanction is the agency’s highest ever and the first penalty levied against Google for data collection practices that have drawn complaints from dozens of countries.

GOP Attacks Internet Rules

Amy Schatz, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal in News on February 17, 2011 at 12:00 am PT

In a contentious hearing, House Republicans attacked new regulations for broadband Internet lines and criticized the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission for adopting them. Republicans are targeting the “net neutrality” rules, which would bar Internet providers from blocking or slowing Internet traffic and services, as well as new regulations in such areas as health care and the environment, as unnecessary and overly burdensome on industry.