Columbia Law Professor Named Senior Advisor for FTC

It was announced this week that Tim Wu, the man who coined the term ''net neutrality,'' has joined the ranks of the FTC. Wu is also the chair of the media reform group, Free Press, and writes for Slate Magazine. In order to start to assume the position with the FTC, Wu will have to take a leave of absence from Columbia Law School.

''Tim is an incredible, bright and creative thinker and the FTC can never have too deep of a bench,'' said Jon Leibowitz, FTC chairman. ''Although he may be known for his work on net neutrality, here at the FTC he'll be working on issues at the nexus of consumer protection, competition, law and technology.''

Wu is a renowned voice on the subject of the Internet and mobile phone networks. In 2007, Wu published a paper which proposed a ''Wireless Carterfone'' rule for mobile phone networks. The FTC read the paper, and later adopted the rule for the 700 MHz spectrum auctions.

Wu had impressed the then FTC commissioner, Michael Copps, who said ''I find it extremely heartening to see that an academic paper - in this case by Professor Timothy Wu of Columbia Law School - can have such an immediate and forceful influence on policy.''

Wu obtained a J.D. from Harvard Law in 1998, where he studied under Lawrence Lessig, an American scholar on issues of copyright and trademark.