In a press conference in Washington, President Obama nominated Tom Wheeler to be the next chairman of the FCC.
Tom Wheeler “was one of the leaders of a company that helped create thousands of good, high-tech jobs. He’s in charge of the group that advises the FCC on the latest technology issues. He’s helped give American consumers more choices and better products,” said President Obama.
Some other background notes on Wheeler:
- Currently Managing Director of Core Capital Partners, a venture capital firm headquartered in Washington, D.C. with approximately $350 million under management. Portfolio investments of Core Capital Partners include Sourcefire (NASDAQ: FIRE), Inlet Technologies (acquired by Cisco), SwapDrive (acquired by Symantec), IXI Corporation (acquired by Equifax), SilverStorm (acquired by QLogic), Roundbox, Twisted Pair Solutions, BridgeWave Communications, UpdateLogic, Infinite Power Solutions, GENBAND, PureWave, Trust Digital and others.
- Served as President of the National Cable Television Association (NCTA) from 1979 to 1984
- Served as CEO of the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association (CTIA) until 2004
- Campaigned for Obama for six weeks in Iowa during the 2008 race.
- Serves on the boards of Earthlink (NASDAQ: ELNK) and Transaction Network Services (NYSE: TNS).
