A version of this post originally appeared on Politico, a news source for global news and information on politics and policy.
Donald Trump’s presidential transition team is turning to a crusader against regulation as it seeks to craft a strategy on issues like net neutrality and the future of the Federal Communications Commission, according to three sources familiar with the effort.
The newly tapped aide, Jeffrey Eisenach, is a known commodity in Washington tech and telecom circles. Dating back to his time as leader of the now-defunct Progress and Freedom Foundation, he’s argued vigorously in favor of the FCC taking a hands-off approach to digital issues. While there in the 1990s, he also called for robust penalties against Microsoft during the U.S. government’s antitrust investigation of the software giant.
In 2012 Eisenach arrived as a fellow at the conservative American Enterprise Institute — and in that role, he’s been an outspoken antagonist of FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler and his policies. In his research and advocacy, often backed by tech and telecom interests, he’s slammed the Obama administration’s efforts on net neutrality, broadband investment and more.
Eisenach declined to confirm or deny his role with the campaign when reached by phone late Thursday. The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment. But the transition team’s nascent telecom effort comes as the Republican nominee scrambles to catch up with his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, who released a full tech policy roadmap in June.
