Lawrence E. Strickling served as Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information at the Department of Commerce from June 2009 until January 2017. In this role, Strickling served as Administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), the Executive Branch agency that is principally responsible for advising the President on telecommunications and information policy. A technology policy expert with more than three decades of experience in the public and private sectors, Strickling's focus at NTIA included leading initiatives to expand broadband Internet access and adoption in America and to ensure that the Internet remain an engine for continued innovation and economic growth.
At NTIA, Strickling oversaw the development and management of an approximately $4 billion broadband grants program. Additionally, under Strickling's leadership, NTIA crafted and implemented a ten-year plan to nearly double the amount of commercial spectrum available for wireless broadband. From 2014-16, Strickling directed NTIA's efforts to encourage the global Internet community to develop the transition plan which allowed the U.S. Government to end its stewardship of domain name system functions performed by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) in 2016.
Previously in government, Strickling served at the Federal Communications Commission as Chief of the Common Carrier Bureau from 1998 to 2000 and as Associate General Counsel and Chief of the FCC's Competition Division.
In the private sector, Strickling held senior executive positions at telecommunications service providers Broadwing Communications, LLC, (2004 to 2007), Allegiance Telecom, Inc. (2002 to 2004) and CoreExpress, Inc. (2000 to 2001) and was a member of the Board of Directors of Network Plus. From 1993 to 1997, Strickling was Vice President, Public Policy at Regional Bell Operating Company Ameritech Corp. Strickling was also a litigation partner at the Chicago law firm of Kirkland & Ellis.
Strickling earned his law degree from Harvard Law School and is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Maryland with a degree in economics.