Former FCC commissioner and current top NBCU D.C. exec Meredith Attwell Baker has been named president and CEO of CTIA-The Wireless Association. The appointment is effective June 2.
She succeeds Steve Largent, who announced he was retiring last October but has stayed on until a replacement was found.
Baker is no stranger to CTIA, having worked their earlier in her career.
“I plan to bring new ideas and new initiatives to the association that will take it from good to great. We will recruit and keep the best and brightest experts in spectrum and wireless communications,” Baker said in statement.
She is already charting her new course, including putting more emphasis on technical and engineering expertise, coming up with a five-year spectrum usage plan, and doing regular spectrum efficiency assessments.
Baker left the FCC in 2011 to become senior VP of government affairs for Comcast-NBCUniversal. Before her two-year stint at the FCC, she was head of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, where she helped oversee the converter box program during the DTV transition.
“I couldn’t be more pleased for and proud of Meredith as she takes on this exciting opportunity as the newly announced CEO of CTIA-The Wireless Association,” said Comcast executive VP David Cohen, who heads up Comcast/NBCU’s Washington advocacy. “She has been a strong and effective leader of our NBCUniversal Washington team. We all wish her the very best.”
Comcast had no comment on who might replace Baker.
“Meredith Attwell Baker is an inspired choice to lead CTIA," said former FCC commissioner Jonathan Adelstein and president of PCIA: The Wireless Infrastructure Association, who served on the commission with Baker. "She has the industry knowledge, smarts, discipline and strategic sense to lead the association in a period of industry growth and change. Best of all, she is a good person and has a terrific reputation in this town."
