Senate panel to vote on Wheeler’s nomination for FCC chief

{mosads}Wheeler served as the president of the National Cable and Telecommunications Association, the lobbying organization for the cable industry, from 1979 to 1984. Later, he led CTIA, the lobbying arm for cellphone carriers and also worked as a venture capitalist.

Wheeler kept his views close to the vest and was careful not to offend members of either party at his confirmation hearing in June.

Nominations for bipartisan commissions such as the FCC often move in pairs of one Democrat and one Republican.

The White House has yet to name a Republican nominee for the other open seat on the FCC, although speculation is currently focused on Michael O’Reilly, a telecommunications policy veteran and staffer for Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas). 

So even if the Commerce Committee approves Wheeler’s nomination on Tuesday, it could be a while before he receives a vote on the Senate floor.