Also In the News: Obama's tech adviser prefers FCC to CTO job

President-elect Barack Obama will likely nominate Julius Genachowski, his top technology adviser, to be chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, according to a report published today. Genachowski had been considered a leading candidate for the new position of chief technology officer, although the transition team has not provided details about the position, according to the Washington Post.

Obama appeared open to offering either the FCC chairmanship or the CTO position to Genachowski, his Harvard Law School classmate, the Post said, citing sources close to the transition team. Since it became apparent that the CTO position would not include the authority to make policy, Genachowski decided to take the FCC leadership position, according to the report.

Obama has said the CTO would make sure that federal networks are secure, lead an interagency effort to implement the best-in-class technologies and share best practices.

It is expected that Obama will announce in a few days his choice of Genachowski to be FCC chairman, sources cited in the report said. Genachowski was chief counsel for Reed Hundt when Hundt was FCC chairman during the Clinton administration.

The article can be found at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/12/AR2009011203610_pf.html