BUSH NAMES OBUCHOWSKI AS WRC AMBASSADOR
President Bush named former NTIA Dir. Janice Obuchowski ambassador to World Radio Conference (WRC) 2003, which starts in June. Her appointment had been long anticipated, although Administration had missed self-imposed deadline of finalizing choice by start of WRC Conference Preparatory Meeting in Nov. Obuchowski, also former FCC official, told us U.S. preparations for Geneva meeting would make this “best prepared-for conference to date” and singled out last week’s govt.-industry agreement on 5 GHz as “breakthrough.”
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NTIA, FCC, Defense Dept., industry and others last week bridged impasse on how to harmonize international spectrum for wireless local area networks at 5 GHz while protecting military radars in band and making way for Wi-Fi systems. “We have 802.11 and radars in the same band,” Obuchowski said: “This is key to making sure that our positions are all ones around which we can unify.” Because ambassadorship runs 6 months, she can be appointed by Bush directly and doesn’t require Senate confirmation. White House said late Tues. Bush intended to appoint her.
Obuchowski, pres. of consulting firm Freedom Technologies, is former vice chmn.-exec. vp of NextWave. Her appointment comes week after U.S. Supreme Court ruling that turned down FCC decision to cancel NextWave’s licenses for missed payment. Decision naming Obuchowski also came just 5 months before start of WRC, although she attended 2-week preparatory meeting as private citizen in Nov. She also was at last WRC Advisory Committee (WAC) meeting at FCC in Jan. Several industry sources said, however, that her past stints at FCC and NTIA positioned her to slip into new role quickly. “There is no time for a big ramp-up,” one source said. “She can jump in and start running tomorrow.” Before official White House announcement, Obuchowski was widely seen as having particularly strong backing from FCC, NTIA and Defense Dept. because of her telecom experience. She reportedly had received support from Defense Secy. Donald Rumsfeld as top pick for job (CD Nov 19 p1).
FCC process of working with private sector, NTIA effort to pull in views of govt. spectrum community and State Dept. efforts in regional and international forums have made U.S. “extremely well-prepared as conferences go” for WRC 2003, Obuchowski said. That also comes at time when interagency process and Congress already have been focused on spectrum issues in general, Obuchowski said. “Everybody has been looking at these subjects,” she said. “Going forward, much of what we have to do is pull together a delegation to engage in bilaterals.” Inter-American Telecom Commission (CITEL) is meeting in Orlando this week to vet WRC policy proposals before June conference. Conference of Postal & Telecom Administrations meets next week in Sweden to further refine European WRC positions, she said, and Asia-Pacific Telecom is meeting in Tokyo later this month on similar policy issues. “This is crunch time.”
Obuchowski “brings incredible leadership skills,” said Cingular Wireless Vp-Federal Relations Brian Fontes, who is WAC co-chmn. “She has familiarity with the international WRC process and international diplomacy.”
Obuchowski was NTIA director in first Bush Administration. Before that, she had been exec. dir.- international affairs for Nynex and senior adviser to FCC Chmn. Mark Fowler. She also is former chief of FCC Common Carrier Bureau. She received bachelor’s degree from Wellesley College and law degree from Georgetown U. Several sources said that although her appointment comes relatively close to start of WRC, it also comes at time when many major domestic WRC policy issues have been settled, such as 5 GHz issue.
International policy is “a passion of mine that has sometimes manifested itself in my work,” Obuchowski said. Among her posts at FCC was as international coordinator during Reagan years before International Bureau had been created. Her tenure as NTIA dir. also involved significant international work, coming at time when Iron Curtain was coming down “and a lot of people were turning to us for technical assistance,” she said. NTIA also undertook spectrum study that addressed how to use spectrum more efficiently and balance competing interests, she said.