Obama’s HLS Pal Picked For FCC

President-elect Barack Obama has reportedly chosen a Harvard Law School classmate, Julius R. Genachowski, to head the Federal Communications Commission, adding yet another Harvard affiliate to the future President’s administration.

Genachowski, who was an editor of the Harvard Law Review when Obama was its president, is friendly with the President-elect from their time at the Law School, and overlapped with Obama during their undergraduate years at Columbia. He helped draft the Obama campaign’s technology platform, and worked on Obama’s record-breaking fundraising Web site.

As chairman of the FCC, Genachowski will take the reins of an organization that has become increasingly relevant with the rise of the Internet and information technology such as wireless communications.

His first task will likely be to oversee the nation-wide transition to digital television that Congress has set for Feb. 17. Obama has already asked for a delay to allow Americans more time to obtain coupons for converter boxes for their analog TV sets.

During the campaign, Genachowski backed Obama’s support for net neutrality, advocating against allowing Web sites to pay a premium for faster delivery of content. The campaign’s technology platform focused on more widespread and affordable Internet access.

Genachowski was chief council to FCC Chairman Reed Hundt during the Clinton administration. He has since worked as a senior executive at IAC/Interactive Corporation.

Genachowski and Obama were both in University Professor Laurence H. Tribe’s constitutional law section at the Law School. The two were also research assistants for Tribe ’62, who says he has retained a close relationship with them both.

“He was very impressive, and did extremely well,” Tribe said. “As did his classmate, the president-elect.”

“He’ll be a tremendous appointment to the FCC,” Tribe said, adding that Genachowski is a “person who has a really deep understanding of both traditional media regulation and of new technology.”

Andrew H. Schapiro, who was a year above Obama and Genachowski on the Harvard Law Review, said he remembers that the two students played basketball together, and that Genachowski was sociable and well-liked. Schapiro has remained friends with both Law School graduates, and also worked on Obama’s campaign.

“He’s extraordinarily creative, energetic, and sensible,” he said of Genachowski. “Julius is a terrific choice.”

—Staff writer Noah S. Rayman can be reached at nrayman@fas.harvard.edu.