Trump taps House committee counsel for NTIA chief
David Redl, the chief counsel on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, is President Trump's nominee to head the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.
The White House nominated David Redl to head up the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration, which oversees federal spectrum holdings and internet governance policies. The NTIA chief also serves as a top federal adviser on telecommunications issues.
Redl has deep Washington experience. Currently he serves as chief counsel to the House Energy and Commerce Committee. He's also worked on policy at CTIA, a trade association representing wireless carriers.
NTIA took part in a number of high-profile activities under the Obama administration, including the development of long-term plans to free up 500 gigahertz of spectrum for commercial use, ceding control of a key internet function to a group of global stakeholders and supporting the launch of the FirstNet program, designed to create a national mobile broadband public safety system.
Ajit Pai, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, welcomed the appointment, saying that Redl is "uniquely qualified to lead the agency charged with managing the spectrum held by the U.S. government" and "is also a skillful expert in communications issues central to NTIA's mission of ensuring that the Internet remains an engine for innovation and economic growth."