WASHINGTON – The United States Senate last night confirmed Lawrence E. Strickling as Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information at the Department of Commerce. In this role, Strickling will serve as Administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), the executive branch agency that is principally responsible for advising the President on communications and information policies.
"A vibrant communications infrastructure is important to our economic recovery and global competitiveness," said Commerce Secretary Gary Locke. "Larry Strickling's experience and integrity are assets to our Department, and I look forward to working with him to take on the challenges that lie ahead."
Among other duties, NTIA is charged with implementing the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program, a grants program created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to spur job creation and investment by increasing broadband access and adoption nationwide. NTIA is also responsible for a wide array of other communications activities, including federal spectrum management and Internet governance matters.
"It is an honor to take on this challenge," said Strickling. "I am committed to seeing that NTIA performs its duties with clarity, common sense and creativity, and always with the goal of promoting our overall economy through the growth and innovation that the communications sector can deliver."
Biography:
Lawrence E. Strickling is a technology policy expert with more than two decades of experience in the public and private sectors. As Policy Coordinator for Obama for America, Strickling oversaw two dozen domestic policy committees and was responsible for technology and telecommunications issues. Prior to joining the campaign, Strickling was Chief Regulatory and Chief Compliance Officer at Broadwing Communications for three years. His private sector experience also includes serving in senior roles at Allegiance Telecom and CoreExpress, Inc. and as a member of the Board of Directors of Network Plus. In government, Strickling served at the Federal Communications Commission as Chief of the Common Carrier Bureau from 1998 to 2000. Prior to that, Strickling was Associate General Counsel and Chief of the FCC's Competition Division. During his tenure at the FCC, Strickling developed and enforced rules to foster competition and protect consumers in the telecommunications marketplace. Prior to joining the FCC, Strickling was Vice President, Public Policy at Ameritech. Before Ameritech, he was a litigation partner at the Chicago law firm of Kirkland & Ellis.
Strickling earned his J.D. from Harvard Law School and is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Maryland with a degree in economics. Prior to his appointment, he served on the Board of Visitors at the University of Maryland School of Public Policy, as Chairman of the Board of Trustees at the University of Chicago's Court Theatre, and on the Board of Directors of Music of the Baroque in Chicago.
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