Carr Names John, Baum To Lead WRC Advisory Committee
Appointments position FCC for 2027 global spectrum talks
WASHINGTON, Feb. 19, 2026 – Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr appointed George John and Kimberly Baum as chair and vice chair, respectively, of the Commission’s World Radiocommunication Conference Advisory Committee.
Carr announced the appointments on Feb. 19, John is a partner at Hogan Lovells and Baum is head of regulatory affairs at Astranis.
The advisory committee was re-chartered Jan. 21, 2026, and was tasked with providing advice, technical support and recommended proposals to the FCC in preparation for the International Telecommunication Union’s 2027 World Radiocommunication Conference.
John previously served as lead legal and regulatory counsel at Spire Global and as a board director at both the Commercial Smallsat Spectrum Management Association and the Satellite Industry Association. He earned his law degree from American University College of Law and a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies from American University.
Baum previously held policy and engineering roles at Eutelsat Group, EchoStar Corporation, SES Americom, Motorola and Astrolink. She began her career at the FCC as an electronics engineer in the Office of Engineering and Technology and later in the International Bureau. She earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Virginia Tech and a master’s degree in electrical engineering from George Washington University.
The World Radiocommunication Conference is a treaty-level forum held every three to four years by the International Telecommunication Union, where countries negotiate international spectrum allocations for wireless, satellite, broadcasting and other radiocommunication services. The next WRC will be held in Shanghai, China, in 2027.
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