Verizon chief meets with White House officials

White House officials met with Verizon Chief Executive Ivan Seidenberg a week ago as the administration seeks to identify policies that harm businesses, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

Seidenberg, who is also chairman of Business Roundtable, met with National Economic Council Director Lawrence Summers, business liaison Valerie Jarrett and others to discuss “specific examples of regulations that were burdensome,” a White House official said, according to the report.

It seems likely that Seidenberg identified Federal Communications Commission (FCC) policies among these “specific examples.” In a speech in Washington, D.C., last month that touched on many aspects of the economy, Seidenberg led by blasting the FCC for its bid to boost regulations over Internet service providers.

Seidenberg warned in his speech that the FCC may be throwing “sand in the gears” of the digital economy. He added that the commission’s regulatory proposals are “overbearing” and “unimaginative.”

The FCC proposal is tantamount to “retrofitting a new industry with an old framework,” Seidenberg said.

On his White House visit, Seidenberg was flanked by Business Roundtable President John Castellani.