Commerce Department IT official to resign

Larry Irving, assistant secretary of Commerce for communications and information and the administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, plans to leave the Commerce Department at the end of the summer, Commerce Secretary William Daley announced today.

Irving, who is a past FCW Federal 100 winner, served as the administration's point man for the Telecommunications Reform Act of 1996, the most comprehensive reform of the nation's telecommunications laws in 60 years. In that role he chaired the Telecommunications Policy Committee of the Information Infrastructure Task Force, which was established to secure passage of the bill and hasten the development of the National Information Infrastructure.

Commerce officials did not announce what Irving planned to do, and Irving could not be reached for comment.

Gregory Rohde, senior legislative assistant to Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.), will replace Irving. Rohde also serves as chief policy adviser for the Senate's Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee on telecommunications, transportation, science, space and technology issues.