The man was supposed to leave in July but will depart in the coming weeks

Mar 23, 2013 09:17 GMT  ·  By

Many products come to our attention before their official releases thanks to the Federal Communications Commission, which means that we were bound to notice if the FCC itself went through any big transformations.

We will leave it to each person to decide if the departure of the chairman of the board of directors is a big or small change.

The name of the man is Julius Genachowski and has been a person of relevance in Washington since the 1980s, when he worked for then-Representative Charles Schumer (D-NY) and served as staff for the committee investigating the Iran-Contra affair.

After attending law school, he clerked for Supreme Court Justices David Souter and Justice William Brennan, then moved to the FCC in 1994, though he didn't stay there for more than three years.

In 1997, he started working for media magnate Barry Diller's IAC, among others.

Then, he helped with Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign and, finally, returned to the FCC in 2009 where he was made chairman.

His term was supposed to end in July this year, but he will move on at some point during the coming weeks instead.

“Over the past four years, we’ve focused the FCC on broadband, wired and wireless, working to drive economic growth and improve the lives of all Americans. And thanks to you, the Commission’s employees, we’ve taken big steps to build a future where broadband is ubiquitous and bandwidth is abundant, where innovation and investment are flourishing,” the man said in his statement.

Genachowski has praised the Connect America Fund program and other similar initiatives through which the FCC expanded or is expanding broadband access.

“Today, America’s broadband economy is thriving, with record-setting private investment; unparalleled innovation in networks, devices and apps; and renewed U.S. leadership around the world,” he said.

There is no word on who will replace Julius Genachowski at this time, even in interim capacity.