Michael D. Gallagher
Acting Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information

Michael D. Gallagher was nominated by President George W. Bush on October 14, 2003 to be Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and Administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. Mr. Gallagher serves as the Acting Assistant Secretary and NTIA's Acting Administrator pending Senate action on the nomination.

Mr. Gallagher most recently served as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Counselor to Secretary of Commerce. He was the lead policy advisor to the Secretary and was responsible for the effective coordination of policy initiatives within the Commerce Department and across the Administration.

Prior to joining the Secretary's personal staff, Mr. Gallagher was the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and Deputy Administrator of NTIA. As a leading member of the Bush Administration's technology team, he focused his efforts on bringing the benefits of new and exciting telecommunications technologies to American consumers.

Working closely with the Federal Communications Commission and other federal government agencies, Mr. Gallagher directed NTIA's technical study that led to the Commission's approval of Ultrawideband, a promising new technology that could spur the development of innovative devices that efficiently "underlay" the radio frequency spectrum and could radically improve the ability of the nation's public safety entities to respond to emergencies.

Mr. Gallagher led NTIA's development of a landmark spectrum allocation plan paving the way for deployment of advanced mobile telecommunications services known as "3G". The 3G plan, which identified 90 MHZ of radio spectrum for future wireless services, is a significant part of the Administration's overall initiative to promote efficient use of the radio spectrum--key to improving the quality of voice and data services, enhancing delivery of health services and increasing the nation's productivity.

Mr. Gallagher also spearheaded the NTIA effort to bring the Defense Department and the U.S. technology industry together to permit devices using WI-FI technologies to co-exist with sensitive military radar systems in the 5GHz frequency band. The compromise enabled the United States to support a globally harmonized allocation of 5GHz spectrum for unlicensed Wireless Local Area Network systems at the World Radio Communication Conference, which was successfully concluded in Geneva in June.

Mr. Gallagher initiated a public dialogue on issues related to the convergence of the Internet Domain Name System and the telephone numbering system known as "ENUM". He developed principles for the implementation of ENUM in the U.S. in a way that will maximize competitive opportunities for industry while protecting the privacy and security of U.S. consumers.

Mr. Gallagher was vice president for state public policy at Verizon Wireless in Bellevue, Washington. From 1998 to 2000, he was managing director for government relations at AirTouch Communications, Inc., also in Bellevue, Washington. Mr. Gallagher served as Administrative Assistant to Congressman Rick White (R-Washington) from 1995 to 1997. Subsequently he established a government relations practice at Perkins Coie, LLP in the Pacific Northwest. Mr. Gallagher received his B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley and his J.D. from the University of California in Los Angeles. He is a member of the Washington State Bar.