Could Blair Levin be the next FCC Chairman?

Chairman Kevin Martin will likely be leaving in early January so the next major question is, who will be next FCC Chairman? Two names that have come up have been Julius Genachowski, a venture capitalist and member of Obama's transition team, and Blair Levin, an analyst at Stifel Nicolaus and a former chief of staff at the FCC. Both seem to be good candidates but, I'd like to focus on Blair Levin since we know him well.

Blair Levin is principal telecom, media and tech regulatory and strategy analyst for Stifel Nicolaus. In particular Blair Levin is one of the analysts that followed the satellite radio industry for Stifel Nicolaus. Mr Levin's served as chief of staff to Chairman Reed Hundt at the Federal Communications Commission from December 1993 through October 1997. He was often described as the “The Sixth Commissioner".

Levins along with Genachowski was recently named to Obama administrations Tech Policy Group. Obama's Tech Policy Group is charged with making policy recommendations for the Obama administration. “I think it's his if he wants it,” said one veteran broadcast lobbyist, who added he thought Levin would make a great chairman. “He knows his stuff.”

The FCC Chairman position will likely take some time to shake out. It will also take some time for the Obama FCC administration to take form. Deborah Taylor Tate must exit before Jan. 3, which would leave the commission at 2-2. When Chairman Martin exits, it will likely leave a 2-1 commission for a short time. It is also likely that anti Sirius XM merger pundit Jonathan Adelstein will stay on as a FCC commissioner. It could be a few months before the newly appointed FCC commissioners are known.

Julius Genachowski seems to currently be the front runner for the new FCC Chairman position but it would be great to see Blair Levin as the next FCC chair. Blair Levin in my opinion gets it as it relates to technology and the satellite radio industry. It is thought by many that technology as well as the internet will play a major role in the new Obama administration and an FCC Chairman that can meet current and future technology challenges is much needed.

This video of Blair Levin discussing the Sirius XM merger immediately after DOJ approval is a much watch. It clearly shows Levin’s depth of knowledge on technology and gives a little bit of incite on what kind of FCC Chairman, Levin would make.

Source - Washington Post, Broadcasting and Cable, Stifel Nicolaus