Building Careers and Shaping Public Policy

16 March 2005

The Honorable Ted Stevens
Chairman, Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & transportation
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Chairman Stevens:

I am writing on behalf of IEEE-USA to encourage the Commerce Committee to explore the technology-related background of nominees for Commissioners when confirming upcoming appointments to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). In today’s world, technology experience and qualifications are becoming more and more important as considerations for appointing Commissioners. The issues that the FCC must address in these rapidly changing days are increasingly technology-driven, and include the explosive growth in wireless deployment, the need for reform in how the radio spectrum is managed, the implementation of fiber optic technology, and the need for increasing the speed of digital communications, among others. The potential opportunities of these new technologies need to be accurately and effectively addressed for the good of the public at large and so that the U.S. is not overtaken by other nations.

Potential questions for FCC nominees could include:

• If you were appointed to the Commission, how would you help to broaden and increase understanding of the potential implications, opportunities and limitations of the technologies that are related to the Commission's issues?

• Other Federal regulatory agencies regularly seek advice from their technical advisory committees, and, as needed, commission reports from outside technical institutions on key technical issues before them. What do you think the role of such groups should be in FCC technical decision making, and what would you do to improve the Commission's use of such resources, including the Commission's own Technical Advisory Committee?

• Would you, as a Commissioner, encourage the appointment of a Chief Technologist at the Commission, recognizing that that office formally exists now, but has not been filled for several years, and that the Chief Technologist reports to the Commissioners and has direct access to them?

The Chief Technologist job is the analog of the Chief Economist job, which continues to be filled at the FCC. Both positions give a senior outsider, usually from academia, an opportunity to inject new ideas and thinking into policy deliberations, and both officers have regular access to the Commissioners. Although the Chief Technologist position is not a permanent appointment, the appointee has a term of two years in which to share knowledge and enhance the understanding of technology within the Commission. We recommend that the Chief Technologist be appointed on the basis of established expertise in current and emerging technological issues.

IEEE-USA is an organizational unit of the IEEE. It was created in 1973 to advance the public good and promote the careers and public policy interests of the more than 220,000 technology professionals who are U.S. members of the IEEE. The IEEE is the world’s largest technical professional society. For more information, please contact Deborah Rudolph at (202) 785-0017 x 8332; d.rudolph@ieee.org.

Sincerely,

Gerard A. Alphonse
President, IEEE-USA

(Also sent to all members of the Senate Commerce Committee)