Wheeler Names Travis LeBlanc Acting Enforcement Bureau Chief

FCC chairman Tom Wheeler said Tuesday he planned to name Travis LeBlanc acting chief of the Enforcement Bureau.

LeBlanc has been a senior advisor to California Attorney General Kamala Harris. While there he "oversaw California’s first high-tech crime and privacy enforcement units," according to the FCC, and "secured global agreements with a number of high-tech companies to protect consumer privacy, promote online safety and respect intellectual property rights." He is also a former legal counsel at the Department of Justice.

“The credibility of the Commission’s rules depends on its enforcement activities,” said Wheeler in announcing the appointment. “Travis LeBlanc brings a wealth of experience with both federal and state law enforcement, most recently in the largest state Attorney General’s office in the country. He is a savvy prosecutor who also knows how to secure agreements with private companies in order to advance the public mission.”

He succeeds Michele Ellison, who is rejoining the General Counsel's office as deputy general counsel. She will also head a new health task force, CONNECT2HEALTHFCC, to work on issues related to the intersection of broadband and health issues.

“I am very much looking forward to working with various stakeholders to leverage the transformative power of broadband and advanced technologies to ensure that quality health care is broadly available to all regardless of geography or income," Ellison said. "I am also delighted to be rejoining the FCC’s Office of General Counsel after four and a half years in the Enforcement Bureau..."

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.