Redl's NTIA Ascent Could Become Legislative Asset on Spectrum, Lawmakers Say

“At NTIA, his familiarity with some of these issues will be helpful,” said Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., in an interview. “I hope that can be an asset in helping us to get some of the stuff across the finish line -- things that we can do legislatively but also things that they can do administratively.” He acknowledged the need to work closely with NTIA on any of these issues and negotiated at length with such officials in crafting his Mobile Now bill. “He gets it,” Thune said. “Hopefully, he’ll be very useful and helpful in moving some of those issues along.”

NTIA is frequently a key player in the debates about federal spectrum legislation and works with agencies such as DOD, which hold vast swathes of spectrum. Records show intense involvement from this branch of the Commerce Department during such debates (see 1612160062, 1612200031 and 1612220020). Many of these bipartisan, bicameral spectrum proposals -- such as providing financial incentives to federal agencies to encourage giving up spectrum -- remain unmoved due to executive branch resistance.

“I think it’ll help,” House Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore., told us. “He’ll be an extraordinarily strong spokesperson for the administration and has the best knowledge base of anybody I’ve run across when it comes to the intricacies of spectrum. We had an issue with a military situation that was about to upend the spectrum issue, and he’s cleared at a pretty high level and was able to say, ‘Oh, that’s your issue? OK, well, here’s how we’d do that,’ and he resolved it. That’s not easy to do.”

“An outstanding choice,” said Senate Communications Subcommittee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., suggesting Redl’s ascent would help a partnership with Capitol Hill. “I’m utterly delighted.”

Congressional Democrats also see promise, they told us. “He’s someone I can work with,” said House Communications Subcommittee ranking member Mike Doyle, D-Pa. “He’s well liked on the committee.” Hopefully, Congress will “be able to see that [legislation] start moving” due to consensus on wanting to advance it, Doyle said.

“I’d like to work with him because I think NTIA is a very critical part of what we have to do,” said Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Calif., a co-chair of the Congressional Spectrum Caucus. Redl “has been” a big part of its spectrum work, she told us. “We work well with David. We’ve been very bipartisan with respect to spectrum issues. I’m hoping that moving forward it’ll be the same way.”

​NTIA Reauth

The House panel that Redl works on spent much of 2017 taking up the legislative goal of NTIA reauthorization for the first time in years. Communications Subcommittee Chairman Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., held a hearing early on suggesting reauthorization legislation that could tweak aspects of NTIA operation, elevating the administrator role to subcabinet level.

Redl was recused from acting on NTIA reauthorization, Blackburn confirmed Wednesday. She doesn't know whether the provision to strengthen the authority of the NTIA leadership role would affect Redl because she doesn't know how long he would be in that role, she said. Redl has spoken publicly about the legislative effort since pursuing the job (see 1703090046). The legislative goal “is to carry it through a restructuring and be sure that they are focused” on what lawmakers judge its core mission, Blackburn said in an interview. “I hope to get that done this summer.”

Next steps include the White House getting nomination paperwork to the Senate and a Senate Commerce Committee hearing for Redl. David Quinalty, a senior aide to Senate Commerce, was another contender and had Thune's backing. Quinalty congratulated Redl on Twitter Tuesday night: “Always happy when one of the Telecom Davids do well,” he wrote.

“We’ve got to get him confirmed,” Thune told us. “We’ll start the process.”

“He’ll go up for Senate confirmation now," said Walden, expressing confidence: "I can think of nobody more qualified on the issues where NTIA has oversight than David."

Industry Backing

Many associations hailed the choice. NTIA has been without clear leadership or even an acting administrator since January, when former Administrator Larry Strickling left with the end of the Obama administration. Redl had been seen as a front runner to take the post. Redl worked for CTIA before he went to the Hill as an aide to the House Commerce Committee.

NTIA hasn't had political leadership since January, said a former top official, who said Redl has a “leg up” on some past nominees because he already has “deep knowledge” of the agency and a working relationship with the federal agencies on spectrum issues. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai called Redl a “superb choice.”

NAB supported the nomination even though Redl used to work for CTIA. “He's a known quantity and well respected,” an NAB spokesman said. “A good choice by Trump and he'll have bipartisan support.” The choice “demonstrates the Administration’s recognition of the need to identify new spectrum opportunities," said CTIA President Meredith Baker in a statement.

“Dave's breadth and depth of knowledge in the telecom space is unparalleled,” said Robert McDowell, former FCC commissioner now at Cooley and Mobile Future. “He has impressed everyone on both sides of the aisle, as well as across industry segments and public interest groups. ... He will have strong bipartisan support."

Redl "knows well the challenges of wireless broadband deployment in rural America," said Caressa Bennet, counsel to the Rural Wireless Association. "He has extensive knowledge regarding wireless, spectrum, and connectivity matters and is uniquely suited to lead NTIA as issues surrounding public/private spectrum use and new spectrum opportunities continue to be tremendously important to both the government and wireless industry." Angela Giancarlo of Mayer Brown called Redl "an outstanding pick.”

Redl “has demonstrated a thoughtful, reasoned approach to policymaking,” said John Gasparini, policy fellow at Public Knowledge. “We look forward to working with him on spectrum policy matters, as consumers and the world express an ever-increasing demand for wireless connectivity."