Adding to its Washington, D.C., lobbying office for the second time in recent
months, Comcast Corp. Tuesday announced the appointment of Brian Kelly as senior
director of federal government affairs.
Comcast also announced the promotion of James Coltharp to chief policy
advisor for Federal Communications Commission and regulatory policy. Coltharp,
who was an aide to former FCC member James Quello, had been Comcast's senior
director of public policy.
Kelly, who once lobbied Congress for the National Association of Broadcasters
and The Walt Disney Co., is joining Comcast from the Electronics Industries
Association, where he served as senior vice president for global government
relations and communications.
In February, Comcast named Kerry Knott -- at the time a top Microsoft Corp.
lobbyist with strong ties to Republicans on Capitol Hill -- to head its
Washington office.
Knott was named to the newly created position of VP of federal-government
affairs, reporting directly to executive VP David L. Cohen, who is based in
Philadelphia
After becoming the largest U.S. cable company last year, Comcast decided that
it needed to beef up its Washington office.
"Brian Kelly brings a tremendous amount of industry experience and policy
strategy to our team, and Jim Coltharp is a proven advocate for Comcast on
matters before the FCC. These announcements represent the latest step in
Comcast's commitment to build its Washington presence," Cohen said in a prepared
statement.
