The Federal Communications Commission has appointed Andy Hendrickson as the chief of its Office of Engineering and Technology. Hendrickson is transitioning from his former post of chief technology officer at the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau, the commission said Thursday.
As OET head, Hendrickson will serve as FCC’s principal technical adviser on spectrum policy, equipment authorization and keeping regulatory standards apace with the rapid changes in the communications sector, FCC noted.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Hendrickson joined the FCC Enforcement Bureau as CTO in October 2024, taking the task of guiding field operations. In his previous role, he also provided the commission’s Office of the Field Director with advice on emerging technologies, enforcement issues, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.
Hendrickson’s Private Sector Experience
Hendrickson brought to FCC over 20 years’ experience in telecommunications and digital infrastructure networks. Before joining the commission, he had a stint of more than nine years at Verizon, where he served last as senior director of the company’s cloud platform and contributed to the rollout of the Verizon 5G network. He also previously served as a solution architect at Esri for over six years, preceded by more than eight years’ prior work at Verizon Wireless as manager of spatial data analysis and geographic information systems.
In addition, he was a part-time lecturer on environmental geomatics at Rutgers University, where he obtained dual degrees from its Schools of Environmental and Biological Sciences and Communication and Information.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr conveyed delight in Hendrickson taking the role as OET chief.
“As the FCC’s Build America Agenda ramps up, our work will benefit greatly from Andy’s understanding of both the technical foundations and real-world impact of our decisions,” Carr said.
He also thanked Ira Keltz, who had served as acting OET chief before Hendrickson’s appointment and will return to his post as the FCC unit’s deputy chief.
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