Washington - June 10, 2009 - The Senate committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation will hold a confirmation hearing on June 16 to consider the appointment of Julius Genachowski as the next chairman of the FCC. Also on the agenda for the hearing is the nomination of current FCC commissioner Robert McDowell for another term. President Obama stated his intent to nominate McDowell for one of the two Republican seats on the five-member commission.

The Genachowski nomination was made in early March. The original confirmation hearing was scheduled for May 12, but was postponed. In the interim, FCC commissioner Michael Copps has been serving as the acting chairman of the commission.

The confirmation hearing for Mignon Clyburn to take the open Democrat seat has not been set. It is believed that President Obama will nominate Meredith Attwell Baker for the final Republican seat on the Commission. Baker recently served as the acting administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) at the Commerce Department. In that role she worked on the DTV transition, including deployment of the $40 coupon program. Baker has also worked as a lobbyist for the mobile telephone lobbying group now known as the CTIA.