The Bush administration’s top telecom advisor John Kneuer is stepping down later this month, ending a rocky tenure characterized by the Democratic-led Congress’ intense oversight of major public-safety, spectrum-reform and digital TV programs.
Kneuer has headed the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, a unit of the Commerce Department, since last December. He joined NTIA in October 2003.
Todd Sedmak, an NTIA press spokesman, said Kneuer plans to return to the telecom private sector, but added he did not yet have a job lined up.
Kneuer was put in charge of an historically large NTIA workload, with billions of dollars tied to high-profile programs including DTV converter-box coupons and public-safety interoperability grants. He also was responsible for implementing Bush’s spectrum-policy initiative and the process of relocating government users from spectrum designated for advanced wireless services to other frequencies.
As such, Kneuer often found himself on the hot seat with congressional Democrats over the implementation of those and other telecom/high-tech initiatives.
Sedmak said those programs will remain on track after Kneuer leaves NTIA. He said NTIA deputy chief Meredith Attwell Baker likely would assume Kneuer’s duties on an interim basis until the president appoints a permanent replacement.
Kneuer to leave NTIA
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