After working in Washington, D.C., for former New York Congressman Chuck Schumer, he entered Harvard Law School and earned a Juris Doctor (1991), also magna cum laude.

[7] Genachowski was a co-founder of LaunchBox Digital and Rock Creek Ventures;[8] a Special Advisor at General Atlantic; and a member of the Boards of Directors at The Motley Fool, Web.com, Mark Ecko Enterprises, and Beliefnet.

The new Connect America Fund was approved unanimously by the FCC in October 2011 and launched in April 2012, and maintains the same annual budget as USF.

In July 2012, the FCC announced the first phase of the program which, over three years, pairs $115 million in public funds with private investment to bring high-speed Internet to 400,000 residents and businesses that lack access.

[45][46][47] Incentive auctions were passed by U.S. Congress and adopted into law as part of the deal to extend the payroll tax cut.

[48] Genachowski announced the process would be advised by a team of auction economics experts, led by economist Paul Milgrom.

[49] Genachowski has pushed for spectrum sharing between current government and commercial wireless users in order to improve network capacity.

[51] In February 2013, the FCC voted unanimously on a Genachowski proposal to free up wireless spectrum that will increase Wi-Fi speeds and ease network congestion in homes and at major hubs, like conferences, airports, hotels etc.

The FCC and Department of Justice applied a number of public interest conditions to promote online competition in the video marketplace.

[54] In June 2012, Comcast agreed to pay an $800,000 settlement for allegedly violating their agreement with the FCC to market an affordable, standalone broadband deal that was not tied to cable television plans.

[55] In November 2011, following an August 2011 announcement by the Department of Justice that the merger would be opposed, the FCC moved to block AT&T's proposed $39 billion bid for rival T-Mobile.

The merger would have combined the second and fourth-largest cellphone carriers in the country, resulting in the largest concentration in U.S. wireless market in history.

[56][57] AT&T competitors have sought to improve their market position with a proposed merger between T-Mobile/MetroPCS and a major investment in Sprint Nextel by Japan's Softbank.

[58] Genachowski announced the launch of Connect2Compete in 2011, an initiative to help close the digital divide by expanding broadband and computer access to low-income households.

Connect2Compete offers under $10 per month broadband access and under $150 laptops to households with a child enrolled in the national school lunch program.

As part of the initiative, Genachowski announced plans to hold workshops and create best practices resources to help reach the goal.

[62] In 2011 the FCC and wireless carriers reached an agreement to combat bill shock when consumers receive unexpected overage charges.

LEAD is co-chaired by Columbia University President Lee Bollinger, TPG Capital co‑founder James Coulter, former Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings and Common Sense Media founder and CEO Jim Steyer.

[64][65][66] Genachowski led a successful effort to pass data roaming rules so consumers have access to wireless Internet even in areas their provider does not cover.

[78][79][80] Support for codifying net neutrality came from public interest groups, venture capitalists, wireless carriers such as Sprint and Clearwire, and a coalition including Google, Amazon, Twitter and others.

[92] In 2012, Genachowski appointed Harvard law professor Jonathan Zittrain to chair an FCC Open Internet Advisory Committee created to evaluate the effectiveness of the neutrality rules.

[96] The FCC found the Verizon had asked Google to remove applications from the Android marketplace that allow "tethering" to turn smartphones into Wi-Fi hotspots.

[98] In November 2012, Genachowski and Hector Olavarria Tapia, Mexico's Secretariat of Communications and Transport, signed an initiative to combat theft of mobile devices and their sale across the border.

Under the program, wireless carriers will build and maintain an international database to prevent stolen devices from being reactivated in Mexico or the United States.

[99] Earlier in the year, major U.S. carriers signed an agreement with the FCC to begin disabling stolen devices within the United States.

[100] Genachowski and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg unveiled the nation's first comprehensive emergency notification system for cellphones at Ground Zero in May 2011.

[101] Genachowski has also announced a plan to create a "Next Generation 911" emergency response system that will enable text, video, and photo messages and automatic location information to be sent to 911.

In 2009, Genachowski and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood launched a campaign to reform laws and change social norms.

Genachowski was named by President Barack Obama to lead the United States delegation for the commemoration of the 65th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.