White House advisor, state regulator to be tapped for commission posts

White House technology advisor Richard Russell and Deborah Taylor, a state utility regulator will likely be President George Bush’s nominees for two openings on the commission.

A report in The Los Angeles Times identifies a letter to clients from Blair Levin, an analyst with the Baltimore-based investment firm Legg Mason, as the source of the speculation. Russell is the associate director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, and Taylor has served on the Tennessee Regulatory Authority since 2002.

Their nominations are expected in September upon the return of the Senate from summer recess. If confirmed, their presence on the commission is expected to break the current stalemate formed along party lines created earlier in the year when former FCC chairman Michael Powell resigned. Commissioner Kathleen Abernathy’s term on the commission has expired as well.

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