FCC’s Tom Wheeler Has Big Agenda, but Time Grows Short

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler has never been known for aiming low, and he started 2016 with an ambitious agenda to reshape the rules on everything from cable TV to internet privacy.

Chairman Wheeler has yet to bring up any of his major proposals for a final FCC vote, amid industry opposition and fraying support on the commission and in Congress. And time could be running out on some of Wheeler’s big plans. Even some fellow Democrats question whether it is feasible for Chairman Wheeler—who in 2015 succeeded in pushing through a landmark network neutrality rule—to accomplish all his goals in 2016. Wheeler’s plans are complicated by election-year politics, including his reluctance to commit to departing when President Barack Obama’s tenure ends. These complexities could hamper his three big goals for the year.