D.C. Memo: Blair Levin Calls Rosenworcel 'Least Consequential' Chair in 'Modern FCC History'

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Footnote 2: This one has got to sting. Blair Levin, a Democrat with a key FCC policymaking role in the Clinton administration, handed out some tough love yesterday to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, a Biden-appointed Democrat who is leaving office on Jan. 20. Levin cut loose on Rosenworcel in an extensive New Street Research report ostensibly about incoming FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, his agenda, and his ability to carry it out. But buried in Footnote 2 of his report, Levin broke contain and decided to catalog Rosenworcel’s missteps and failures, starting off by saying she had "the least consequential term as Chair in modern FCC history." Levin's list was long. He said Rosenworcel watched the Commerce Department take control of the BEAD program and spectrum planning; lost spectrum "auction authority in Congress and never getting close to getting it back"; lost "her battle to get Congress to extend the Affordable Connectivity Program (though we are sure she would say others lost that battle)"; and made "zero progress on Universal Service Reform." Levin questioned the acuteness of Rosenworcel's political antenna, saying she spent "political capital on two issues that will soon be repealed (Title II and Digital Discrimination) and two others that will never come to a vote (bulk billing and data caps.)" Though he had more to say, he decided to pause. "We could go on but our point is that Carr’s approach to achieving his agenda will be quite different than his immediate predecessor's, so investors must look to different indicators for whether he will have a material impact on their investments," said Levin, who was FCC Chief of Staff under Chairman Reed Hundt.