When I was little, I was known to declare to my family (quite boldly in retrospect, I might add) that I was going to be the first Jewish woman President of the United States. While I thought that combination might have been a stretch, I certainly thought that when I hit this stage of life, I would have at least seen a President with just one of those characteristics. I have always been known to dream big!
However, after I moved to Washington, D.C., and started working on Capitol Hill, I realized that there were many ways to positively impact people’s lives and not all of them required the wear and tear of the presidency or even running for public office. While Capitol Hill often garners all of the headlines, much of the real work gets done and implemented at the agency level and these federal agencies impact millions of lives and set the course for generations.
That is why I took great heart and pleasure in hearing a glass ceiling shatter last week into thousands of twinkling shards when Acting FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel was finally nominated to take that post. If she is confirmed by the Senate, and I have no doubt that she will be, Jessica will be leading an agency whose responsibilities include ensuring that millions of Americans have internet access, scrutinizing mergers between telecommunications companies and broadcasting entities as well as regulating radio, TV, and cable and auctioning off spectrum. It is a big job and impacts a huge swath of our American economy. And she will be the first woman nominated to do so in a permanent capacity.
I have known soon-to-be Chairwoman Rosenworcel for a number of years since her days as a staff person to FCC Commissioner Michael Copps and Sen. Rockefeller (D-W.V.), then Chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, to her role as an FCC commissioner. She has long earned my admiration as one of the smartest people I have met in this town of smart people (along with our own Mike Romano, of course) and as a straight shooter in a town that is predisposed to spin. You know when she respectfully disagrees with you, when she sees your point but needs more information or data, and when your policy goals—like connecting all Americans to the internet— align. I have also know her to be a regulator who is game to leave D.C. to see technology in action and had the pleasure of her joining me for two Smart Rural Community celebrations, one with NCTC in Tennessee, and one in Maine where we were also joined by Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) to tour libraries, organic farms and the home of NTCA member Unitel Communications (Unity, Maine) to talk about telemedicine at a town forum. She is just as comfortable touring a field of lavender as she is touring a school in New York City.
As a woman leader, there is even more that I admire about her. In a tech world where the role of women leaders grows slowly, she has noted in an interview when asked why she wanted to lead the commission, “It’s the future of our economy, and I think we have to make sure across the board that women are represented, including at the top.” Those aren’t just words. For Chairwoman Rosenworcel that is part of the mission. When her schedule has worked, she has always met with our NTCA Women in Telecom group during their Washington fly-ins and been willing to banter between policy issues and women’s leadership topics. She puts her words into action and has always been mindful of lending a hand and support to women starting their careers, and it has been fun watching many of “Jessica’s former staffers” blossom across the policy spectrum. She knows that the journey can be more fraught for women in the tech world, and she knows that in her role she is not only a top national regulator but that she is a role model. And she frankly is the same source of support for her male team members, as well, as they rise to the top level of public service under her leadership.
My favorite part of her persona that I fully relate to is her juggling all of this while being a mom. I know all too well how delicate that balance can be and how many dinners it is okay to miss and which school events are non-negotiable. She is my defining example that while we women can’t really have it all (because what in the world does that mean, anyway?), we can make wise choices that are good on the family and the professional fronts, and we can multi-task like nobody’s business! I also know that we try hard to not wear that part of life on our sleeve, given that many perceive that parental pressure as a weakness. I have frankly always seen my being a mom as part of my “super power.” Watching her last confirmation hearing with her then-young son climbing on the chairs behind her in the Senate Commerce hearing room made me smile out loud and relate to her on a number of fronts that are hard to define. As the mother of two amazing young professional women who are always looking for women role models and mentors, I appreciate how she gives back at her level. In addition to the thoughtful work Chairwoman Rosenworcel does at the FCC, young women knowing that key roles in our policy arena are no longer off limits will be part of her legacy.
I am looking forward to working with Chairwoman Rosenworcel. I know that NTCA will need to make compelling arguments to gain her support for our various topics of interest, but I also know that she will always listen and give us the opportunity to make our case, and she will review it with a clear eye and supporting data.
