President Obama nominated April 29 Mignon L. Clyburn, a member of the South Carolina Public Service Commission since 1998 and the daughter of House Majority Whip Rep. James Clyburn, to fill an open seat at the Federal Communications Commission. If approved by Congress, Clyburn will fill the seat of Democrat Jonathon Adelstein, who is leaving the FCC to head up the Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service. Before her election to the South Carolina Public Service Commission, Clyburn spent 14 years as the publisher and general manager of The Coastal Times, a weekly newspaper in Charleston, S.C.
Clyburn’s nomination would complete the Democratic majority on the five-person FCC. She would be joining current acting Chairman Michael Copps and Obama’s March 3 nomination of Julius Genakowski to serve as the FCC chairman. The Republicans have yet to forward to Obama their choice for an open GOP seat on the panel.
Genakowki has yet to have a confirmation hearing as Republicans are insisting the proceeding also include the Republican nominee.
Genakowski is widely considered to be the architect of Obama’s Technology and Innovation Plan, which supports the “principle of network neutrality to preserve the benefits of open competition on the Internet.” He is the former top aide to two former Democratic FCC chairmen, co-founder and managing director of LaunchBox Digital and Rock Creek Ventures, a former executive with Barry Diller’s IAC and a board member of several Internet ventures, including Expedia and The Motley Fool.