January 13, 2009
WASHINGTON, D.C., — President-elect Obama plans to nominate Julius Genachowski to be chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), according to news reports.
Chris Murray, senior counsel for Consumers Union, made the following statement today in response to the news:
“We’re encouraged by this choice for FCC chairman, someone who understands the communications and media industries well, and someone who gets how important an open Internet is to economic growth. The first major challenge he will face is minimizing the number of TVs that lose signal after the digital TV transition. We stand ready to work with the new chairman to do whatever it takes to help make this big switch as smooth as possible.”
Media contact:
David Butler, Consumers Union, 202-719-5916
butlda@consumer.org
Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports, is an independent, nonprofit testing and information organization serving the consumer. We are a comprehensive source of unbiased advice about products and services, personal finance, health, nutrition, and other consumer concerns. Since 1936, our mission has been to test products, inform the public, and protect consumers