Anna Gomez, the long-time vice president of state, regulatory and government affairs for Sprint Nextel Corp. (S), now is serving as acting head of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).

Even when the White House names a permanent top official, Gomez will stay on as deputy assistant secretary for communications and information.

In the meantime, she has the – shall we say, challenging – task of overseeing the messed-up DTV converter box coupon program.

An NTIA source told Broadcasting & Cable that Gomez was not a registered lobbyist; that means her appointment falls in line with President Barack Obama’s more stringent ethics rules (the waiver clause notwithstanding).