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Thomas Edgar Wheeler (born April 5, 1946) [1] [2] is an American businessman and former government official. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 31st Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. [3] [4] He was appointed by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in November 2013. [1]
Jan 20, 2017 · Tom Wheeler became the 31st Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission on November 4, 2013 and served until January 20, 2017. Chairman Wheeler was appointed by President Barack Obama and unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate.
Aug 5, 2024 · Tom Wheeler became the 31st Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on November 4, 2013. Chairman Wheeler was appointed by President Barack Obama and unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate.
Feb 28, 2017 · Tom Wheeler, the former FCC chairman who became the cable industry's worst enemy, speaks out against the new FCC administration's actions.
- Career
- FCC Commissioner Initiatives
- Noteworthy Events
- Personal
Below is an abbreviated outline of Wheeler's academic, professional, and political career: 1. 1970-1984: Chief Executive of the National Cable Television Association 2. 1992-2004: Chief Executive of the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association 3. 2000-2013: Director of OmniSky Corp. 4. 2003-2013: Independent Director of EarthLink Holdin...
Sporting event blackout rules
On August 12, 2014, Republican FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai called for the FCC to remove the rules that force cable and satellite television providers to black out sporting events if they're blacked out in the local market. Pai suggested the blackout rules favor the interests of team owners because games get blacked out in local markets when a certain threshold of seats were not sold. With opposition to any changes headed by the National Football League and AFL-CIO, Wheeler wrote an op-ed on Sep...
Open internet
On May 15, 2014, the FCC voted 3-2, along party lines, to pass new rules regarding net neutrality. The idea behind net neutrality is that internet service providers treat all content equally. The new rules proposed a "fast lane" be offered to larger content managers for a fee to ensure that internet providers do not purposefully slow down the data coming from the high bandwidth content managers like Google, Facebook or Netflix. FCC Commissioner Tom Wheeler defended the new rules, stating, "Th...
Washington Redskins radio license
A George Washington University professor filed a claim on September 2, 2014, with the FCC aimed at revoking the license of a radio station run by the Washington Redskins, due to the racial implications of the name. While Wheeler stated in response on September 10, 2014, "I don't use the term personally and I think it is offensive and derogatory," he also would not commit to using the power of the FCC to force a name change. He explained, "I think it would be great if the Washington football t...
Democratic donor waiver probe
On July 31, 2014, House Republicans began a probe into an FCC waiver given to Grain Management, a private equity firm. Reps. Fred Upton (R-MI), Greg Walden (R-OR) and Tim Murphy (R-PA) claimed the company may have received special treatment because the head of the company, David Grain, donated $5,000 to President Barack Obama's 2012 campaign as well as thousands more to other Democratic candidates. The congressmen wrote a letter to Wheeler stating, "The Energy and Commerce Committee is commit...
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update. Wheeler is married to his wife, Carole.
May 2, 2013 · After briefly leaving to start a couple companies focused on broadband and cellular — experiences that would clearly inform his role as an FCC chairman — Wheeler was once again pulled into the...
Feb 27, 2019 · Wheeler was the CEO of the wireless industry group CTIA from 1992 to 2004, and the CEO of the National Cable Television Association from 1979 to 1984. As the agency drafted its net neutrality...
