{"id":648407,"date":"2013-03-22T12:38:55","date_gmt":"2013-03-22T16:38:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gigaom.com\/?p=623366"},"modified":"2013-03-22T12:38:55","modified_gmt":"2013-03-22T16:38:55","slug":"fcc-chairman-julius-genachowski-confirms-departure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/648407","title":{"rendered":"FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski confirms departure"},"content":{"rendered":"

Julius Genachowski will step down as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, confirming press reports Thursday of his planned resignation<\/a>. An FCC statement<\/a> on Friday said he would depart in \u201ccoming weeks\u201d even though his term expires this year.<\/p>\n

President Obama nominated Genachowski to the commission in 2009, where he oversaw some fairly momentous -\u2013 and controversial — FCC actions: the creation of the National Broadband Plan<\/a>, the quashing of AT&T-Mo<\/a> and the approval of Verizon\u2019s plan to cooperate with the cable companies<\/a> on residential broadband.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the full text of Genachowski\u2019s statement:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cOver the past four years, we\u2019ve focused the FCC on broadband, wired and\u00a0wireless, working to drive economic growth and improve the lives of all Americans.\u00a0And thanks to you, the Commission\u2019s employees, we\u2019ve taken big steps to build a\u00a0future where broadband is ubiquitous and bandwidth is abundant, where\u00a0innovation and investment are flourishing.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo connect all Americans to broadband, we adopted a landmark overhaul of multi-billion dollar universal service programs, modernizing them from telephone to broadband\u00a0and creating the Connect America Fund and the Mobility Fund, an unprecedented\u00a0commitment to broadband infrastructure.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo unleash the enormous opportunities of mobile, we pioneered incentive auctions and\u00a0other cutting-edge spectrum policies.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo fuel America\u2019s innovation economy, we put in place the first rules to preserve\u00a0Internet freedom and openness.
\u201cTo drive competition and empower consumers, we opposed and modified transactions\u00a0where necessary, deployed technology to drive transparency, and took unprecedented\u00a0enforcement actions.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe helped harness the power of digital technologies to give students a better chance,\u00a0people better health care, and make Americans safer in their homes and communities, while also guarding against digital threats and strengthening cybersecurity.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday, America\u2019s broadband economy is thriving, with record-setting private\u00a0investment; unparalleled innovation in networks, devices and apps; and renewed\u00a0U.S. leadership around the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile there are challenges ahead in this fast-moving, globally competitive sector, a\u00a0revitalized FCC is prepared to continue taking them on. I\u2019m deeply grateful to President\u00a0Obama for his vision, friendship, and the opportunity to serve our country.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m proud of what we\u2019ve done together to harness technology to advance the American\u00a0dream for the 21st century. I know you\u2019ll continue to fight hard to fulfill this agency\u2019s\u00a0vital mission, and I look forward to continuing to work together until my last day at the\u00a0agency, and to count you as family and as an inspiration for long after that.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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