By the time Jan. 19 rolls around, newest Wireless Telecom Bureau Chief Tom Sugrue will be in for an education that goes far beyond the quirks and quarks (B.S. in physics) of his Ivy League schooling and his inside-the-Beltway experience.
None of that will have fully prepared Sugrue for what he faces next.
The good news for Sugrue is he enters the scene-a bad scene some would say-with a strong base of support. Sugrue, like predecessor Dan Phythyon, is bright, congenial and somewhere right of center. The latter could be a real plus when the GOP-Congress holds oversight hearings on FCC wireless policy management next year.
The bad news is Sugrue inherits Phythyon’s problems. Thus, everyone-commercial and private wireless lobbyists, Congress and old guard WTB staffers-will be out to educate Tom.
Paging and mobile phone carriers will want a stronger advocate for their sectors. But how much of an advocate can Sugrue be if Kennard remains opposed to federal pre-emption of local siting regulations and supportive of issues (strongest-adequate signal, enhanced 911-TTY, spectrum flexibility, mandatory resale, etc.) that are at odds with the world according to wireless operators?
Small SMRs will want Sugrue to continue providing CMRS deregulatory cover.
How will Sugrue handle Kennard’s push for telecom diversity, a laudable policy objective that makes Republicans queasy and doesn’t fit neatly into free-market economic models?
Sugrue will be educated too by the private wireless community. This could be a particularly inspiring lesson for Sugrue, an early advocate of spectrum auctions during his National Telecommunications and Information Administration days.
Private wireless folks, whose lobbying clout has gained in recent years, are lining up support in Congress to sidetrack the congressionally mandated private wireless auction proposal being crafted by the WTB.
No doubt, Sugrue will have Kennard’s support on auctions. But the two regulators could be forced to back down if Congress weighs in with political pressure or with legislation to authorize spectrum lease fees a la Breaux.
Sugrue too will have to go up against old common carrier colleagues who, some say, think they know better than WTB what’s best for the wireless industry.
Sugrue’s biggest challenge, though, will be political: How he will mix with a WTB culture of strong personalities and coveted fiefdoms in an embattled FCC that’s headed for a pounding in 1999.
If Sugrue’s smart, he’ll do most of the educating. The rest should fall into place.
