FCC Commissioner Meredith Attwell Baker is defending herself against charges that she has improperly benefited from her support of the massive Comcast/NBC buyout back in January. Attwell Baker last week announced plans to join Comcast as a top DC lobbyist for the company.
In an editorial last week, the New York Times said that "Ms. Baker’s swift shift from regulator to lobbyist for the regulated will only add to Americans’ cynicism about their government. The fact that it is legal and that she is just one of many doesn’t make it better."
"Until late this spring, my plan was to seek renomination for a second term as Commissioner," Attwell Baker said in a statement on Friday. "That was true all through the winter during consideration of the Comcast/NBCUniversal transaction and in the months after it was completed."
But when opportunity knocks, you have to open the door:
Not once in my entire tenure as a Commissioner had anyone at Comcast or NBCUniversal approached me about potential employment. When this opportunity became available in mid-April, I made a personal decision that I wanted to give it serious consideration.
Therefore, I immediately sought counsel from the General Counsel of the FCC, and recused myself on April 18th from any matters involving Comcast or NBCUniversal. I have not only complied with the legal and ethical laws, but I also have gone further. I have not participated or voted any item, not just those related to Comcast or NBCUniversal, since entering discussions about an offer of potential employment. Because of this, I plan to depart the Commission as soon as I am able to ensure an orderly wind-down of my office. I will of course comply with all government ethics and Obama pledge restrictions going forward.
Attwell Baker is one of two Republican commissioners at the FCC, so her departure should produce a new Republican nominee in the next couple of months that will maintain the 3-2 slant of the Commission. Democrat Michael Copps is also expected to end his run at the FCC later this year. Given his near legendary status as the Grumpy Old Man of the FCC, it's hard to imagine Copps cashing in big on his FCC service, but we're curious to see where Commissioners like McDowell, Clyburn, and Genachowski land once their tenure is up.
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