FCC Commish becomes Comcast lobbyist

[Spock]

Meredith Attwell Baker, one of the two Republican Commissioners at the Federal Communications Commission, plans to step down—and right into a top lobbying job at Comcast-NBC.

The news comes after the hugely controversial merger of Comcast and NBC earlier this year. At the time, Baker objected to FCC attempts to impose conditions on the deal and argued that the "complex and significant transaction" could "bring exciting benefits to consumers that outweigh potential harms."

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/...bbyist.ars

Now we see the extent of those "exciting benefits" to the ex-commissioner. Bought and paid for, you bettcha.

[mattkime]

i'd like someone to explain to me why this is okay.

[rjmacs]

mattkime wrote:
i'd like someone to explain to me why this is okay.

DISCLAIMER: I am not advocating a position here; i am simply offering an explanation.

Several arguments are made in favor of allowing former government officials to take private industry jobs upon retirement. The two dominant ones are: first, if you legislate that taking a public post means you severely limit your future career options, the best qualified candidates will decline to serve (note that for orgs like the FCC, most commissioners are industry veterans); second, it's unfair to let the government dictate what people can do once they have returned to private life.

[Seacrest]

Four months after approving the massive transaction, Attwell Baker will take a top DC lobbying job for the new Comcast-NBC entity, according to reports.

I understand your points above, but there needs to be some kind of waiting period.

In the private sector, they can enforce non-compete clauses, a similar principle should apply here.

[Chakravartin]

Seacrest wrote:
Four months after approving the massive transaction, Attwell Baker will take a top DC lobbying job for the new Comcast-NBC entity, according to reports.

I understand your points above, but there needs to be some kind of waiting period.

Agreed.

And there's precedent.

Low-level decision-makers in the government must wait 3 years after leaving their government jobs before going to work for lobbying firms and government-contractors with interests related to their government work.

Gee! Somehow the upper echelon got exempted!

[RgrF]

rjmacs wrote:
[quote=mattkime]
i'd like someone to explain to me why this is okay.

DISCLAIMER: I am not advocating a position here; i am simply offering an explanation.

Several arguments are made in favor of allowing former government officials to take private industry jobs upon retirement. The two dominant ones are: first, if you legislate that taking a public post means you severely limit your future career options, the best qualified candidates will decline to serve (note that for orgs like the FCC, most commissioners are industry veterans); second, it's unfair to let the government dictate what people can do once they have returned to private life.
Why you'd suppose it doesn't create an automatic conflict of interest seems the question.

[rjmacs]

RgrF wrote:
[quote=rjmacs]
[quote=mattkime]
i'd like someone to explain to me why this is okay.

DISCLAIMER: I am not advocating a position here; i am simply offering an explanation.

Several arguments are made in favor of allowing former government officials to take private industry jobs upon retirement. The two dominant ones are: first, if you legislate that taking a public post means you severely limit your future career options, the best qualified candidates will decline to serve (note that for orgs like the FCC, most commissioners are industry veterans); second, it's unfair to let the government dictate what people can do once they have returned to private life.
Why you'd suppose it doesn't create an automatic conflict of interest seems the question.
Oh, i completely think there's a conflict of interest. I'm with Chak on this one - a 3 year mandatory hiatus is entirely reasonable. But mattkime was looking for a justification, so i gave one.

[$tevie]

It surely looks like his new position is a reward for a Job Well Done. Absolutely, there should be some sort of mandatory hiatus, so at least they aren't rubbing our noses in it.