Acknowledging his past as a lobbyist, Wheeler told lawmakers at a Senate Commerce Committee hearing on his nomination that at the FCC, he would advocate for the consumers' interest first: "My client will be the American public."

WASHINGTON, June 18- President Barack Obama's choice for chairman of the Federal Communications Commission is expected to face questions about his past work within the telecommunications industry at a Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON, June 10- The Senate Commerce Committee on Monday gave strong bipartisan backing to President Barack Obama's nominees to head the Departments of Transportation and Commerce, sending them to the Senate floor for approval.

WASHINGTON, May 22- President Barack Obama's choice to be transportation secretary promised on Wednesday to work with Congress to figure out how to fund U.S. transportation needs during a time of tight budgets and faced lingering Republican anger over recent air traffic controller furloughs.

*Commissioner Clyburn will be FCC acting chairwoman. WASHINGTON, April 30- President Barack Obama will nominate venture capitalist and former wireless and cable lobbyist Tom Wheeler on Wednesday to head the Federal Communications Commission, according to a White House official.

*Airlines, FAA say safety not affected by furloughs. Without any debate, the Senate unanimously passed legislation giving the Department of Transportation flexibility to use unspent funds to cover the costs of air traffic controllers and other essential employees at the Federal Aviation Administration.

*Airlines, FAA say safety not affected by furloughs. Under bipartisan legislation that is all but ready to be presented to the full Senate, the Department of Transportation would be given new flexibility to take unspent funds and use them to cover the costs of air traffic controllers and other essential employees at the Federal Aviation Administration.

The House of Representatives could vote soon after but leaders in that chamber first want to see what the Senate produces, fearing a retreat on this issue could open the door to easing other budget cuts. One option senators are exploring is attaching legislation to an unrelated Internet sales tax bill currently being debated, a Senate aide said on Thursday.

WASHINGTON, April 25- U.S. Senate leaders are looking at ways to alleviate widespread airline flight delays- brought about by last month's automatic federal spending cuts- with legislation that could be voted upon as early as Thursday, a Senate aide said.

WASHINGTON, April 23- The White House said on Tuesday it would be open to legislation to put air traffic controllers back to work full-time as key U.S. senators demanded more information about the impact of furloughs on safety and air operations.

WASHINGTON, April 23- The White House said on Tuesday it would be open to legislation to put air traffic controllers back to work full time as key U.S. senators demanded more information about the impact of furloughs on safety and air operations.

"We are now faced with substantial possible disruptions to the air transportation system," Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller, a Democrat, and Senator John Thune, the top Republican on the panel, said in a letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Michael Huerta.

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski will leave the commission in coming weeks and the letter to Obama, signed by 37 senators, calls Rosenworcel "a superb candidate" who is "equally respected" by the telecommunications industry, public safety community and public interest groups.

WASHINGTON, March 12- A Senate oversight hearing of the Federal Communications Commission took an unexpected turn on Tuesday toward a hot political topic that telecommunications regulators rarely address: donor disclosure in political advertising.

WASHINGTON, Feb 14- Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller on Thursday said he was concerned that a proposed merger between bankrupt American Airlines and U.S. Airways Group could hurt consumers by reducing competition and boosting fares. "We will review the proposed merger of American Airlines and US Airways very closely.

WASHINGTON, Feb 13- The pomp and soaring rhetoric of President Barack Obama's State of the Union address roused his Capitol audience to standing ovations, but a day after, the U.S. Congress was no closer to achieving major accomplishments in 2013 than it was before Tuesday's speech.