David Redl, chief counsel of the House Energy & Commerce Committee, has been nominated by President Donald Trump to be assistant secretary for Communications & Information at the Department of Commerce.
As such, he will head up the National Telecommunications & Information Administration, the President's principal telecom advisor. NTIA also oversees government spectrum holders in much the way the FCC oversees private ones.
Redl has been chief counsel since 2013, before that serving as counsel to the full committee.
If confirmed, Redl would succeed Lawrence Strickling, who had headed NTIA since appointed to the post by President Obama in 2009.
Before joining the committee, Redl was director of regulatory affairs for CTIA-The Wireless Association, where he focused on spectrum policy and wireless broadband.
“David has been with the committee since 2011 and in that time he has been a valuable member of our team," said E&C Chairman Greg Walden (R-Ore.), former E&C Chair Fred Upton (R-Mich.) and Communications Subcommittee Chair MArsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) in a joint statement. "David worked diligently to improve federal and commercial use of spectrum to meet the needs of ever-growing consumer demand for broadband services. [His] experience with the committee and his vast knowledge of communications law and policy makes him well suited to head the agency that will be at the forefront of promoting safe, secure communications networks, broadband deployment, and the efficient use of federally held spectrum.”
"On behalf of CTIA and the wireless industry, we congratulate David Redl on his nomination to be NTIA Administrator," said CTIA President Meredith Attwell Baker, herself a former NTIA head, "He has served with distinction on Capitol Hill, where his extensive work on wireless, spectrum and connectivity issues makes him uniquely qualified for this critical role. His nomination demonstrates the Administration's recognition of the need to identify new spectrum opportunities and to continue driving the investment, innovation and job creation that makes America the world's leader in mobile broadband."
