National Cable & Telecommunications Association
What was the name of the employer Tom Wheeler work for in late 1970s?
Tom Wheeler Thomas Edgar Wheeler ( born April 5 , 1946 ) is an American businessman and politician . He was the 31st Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission and a member of the Democratic Party . He was appointed by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the U.S . Senate in November 2013 . Prior to working at the FCC , Wheeler worked as a venture capitalist and lobbyist for the cable and wireless industry , whom the FCC is now responsible for regulating , and holding positions including President of the National Cable & Telecommunications Association ( NCTA ) and CEO of the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association ( CTIA ) . Following custom for an FCC chairman , Wheeler resigned his seat when the new administration of Donald Trump began on January 20 , 2017 , and was succeeded by Ajit Pai . Career . Wheeler was born on April 5 , 1946 in Redlands , California . He attended Ohio State University . From 1969 to 1976 , Wheeler led the trade group Grocery Manufacturers of America . He then went on to work at the National Cable & Telecommunications Association from 1976 to 1984 , becoming president of the trade group in 1979 . For a year until its closure , Wheeler was president of NABU Network , before spending a number of years creating or running several different technology startups . In 1992 , he became the CEO of the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association , a post he held until 2004 . From 2005 Wheeler was a technology entrepreneur and executive at Core Capital Partners . Originally considered a frontrunner for the position , Wheeler was confirmed as the new Federal Communications Commission chief in November 2013 following a confirmation hearing before the United States Senate Committee on Commerce , Science , and Transportation . Despite a letter written by several prominent former Obama administration officials endorsing Wheeler for the position , many people expressed concern over the consideration of Wheeler for the position due to his history of lobbying for industry . In recognition of his work in promoting the wireless industry , Wheeler was inducted into the Wireless Hall of Fame in 2003 and in 2009 , as a result of his work in promoting the growth and prosperity of the cable television industry and its stakeholders , was inducted into the Cable Television Hall of Fame . He is the only person who is a member of both halls of fame . Cablevision magazine named Wheeler one of the 20 most influential individuals in its history during cables 20th anniversary in 1995 . During Barack Obamas 2008 presidential campaign , Wheeler spent six weeks in Iowa aiding his campaign efforts and went on to raise over US$500,000 for Obamas campaigns . Net neutrality . In late April 2014 , the contours of a document leaked that indicated that the FCC under Wheeler would consider announcing rules that would violate net neutrality principles by making it easier for companies to pay ISPs ( including cable companies and wireless ISPs ) to provide faster lanes for delivering their content to Internet users . These plans received substantial backlash from activists , the mainstream press , and some other FCC commissioners . In May 2014 , over 100 Internet companies—including Google , Microsoft , eBay , and Facebook—signed a letter to Wheeler voicing their disagreement with his plans , saying they represented a grave threat to the Internet . As of May 15 , 2014 , the Internet fast lane rules passed with a 3–2 vote . They were then open to public discussion that ended July 2014 . In November 2014 , President Obama gave a speech endorsing the classification of ISPs as utilities under Title II of the Communications Act of 1934 . Wheeler stated in January 2015 that the FCC was going to propose rules that say no blocking , no throttling , no paid prioritization at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas . On January 31 , 2015 , the Associated Press reported the FCC will present the notion of applying ( with some caveats ) Title II ( common carrier ) of the Communications Act of 1934 to the Internet in a vote expected on February 26 , 2015 . Adoption of this notion would reclassify Internet service from one of information to one of telecommunications and , according to Wheeler , ensure US net neutrality . The FCC was expected to enforce net neutrality in its vote , according to the New York Times . On February 26 , 2015 , the FCC ruled in favor of net neutrality by applying Title II of the Communications Act of 1934 and Section 706 of the Telecommunications act of 1996 to the Internet . Wheeler commented , This is no more a plan to regulate the Internet than the First Amendment is a plan to regulate free speech . They both stand for the same concept . On March 12 , 2015 , the FCC released the specific details of the net neutrality rules . On April 13 , 2015 , the FCC published the final rule on its new Net Neutrality regulations . Critics said that Wheeler was unduly influenced by Obama in changing his stance on net neutrality . In addition , journalists and advocates have expressed concern regarding the potential for inappropriate involvement by the White House over rule making at the FCC , which is supposed to be an independent agency . During a House Oversight Committee hearing in March 2015 , Republicans disclosed that Wheeler had secretly met with top aides at the White House nine times while the new rules were being formulated . Wheeler responded that the new rules had not been discussed during the meetings . This prompted the committee chairman to state , You meet with the White House multiple times .. . and were supposed to believe that one of the most important things the FCC has ever done , that this doesnt come up ? Bibliography . - Wheeler , Tom , Take Command! : Leadership Lessons from the Civil War . New York : Currency Doubleday , 2000 . - Wheeler , Tom , Mr . Lincolns T-Mails : The Untold Story of How Abraham Lincoln Used the Telegraph to Win the Civil War . New York : Collins , 2006 .