Michael Joseph Copps (born April 23, 1940) is a former commissioner of the U.S.

Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, internet, wi-fi, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains j ...

(FCC), an

independent agency of the United States government In the United States federal government, independent agencies are agencies that exist outside the federal executive departments (those headed by a Cabinet secretary) and the Executive Office of the President. In a narrower sense, the term re ...

. He was sworn in on May 31, 2001, and served until December 31, 2011. He took on the additional role of acting chairman from January 22, 2009, through June 28, 2009. He relinquished the chairmanship to

Julius Genachowski Julius Genachowski (born August 19, 1962) is an American lawyer and businessman. He became the Federal Communications Commission Chairman on June 29, 2009. On March 22, 2013, he announced he would be leaving the FCC in the coming weeks. On Januar ...

after Genachowski was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on June 25 and then sworn in on June 29, 2009. He is currently a special adviser to the Media and Democracy Reform Initiative at

Common Cause Common Cause is a watchdog group based in Washington, D.C., with chapters in 35 states. It was founded in 1970 by John W. Gardner, a Republican, who was the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare in the administration of President Lyndon ...

, a nonpartisan citizen advocacy organization.

Biography

Early life, education

Copps was born in

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

. He was a

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...

of history at

Loyola University New Orleans Loyola University New Orleans is a Private university, private Jesuit university in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Originally established as Loyola College in 1904, the institution was chartered as a university in 1912. It bears the nam ...

, from 1967 to 1970. He obtained his B.A. from

Wofford College Wofford College is a private liberal arts college in Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1854, it is one of the few four-year institutions in the southeastern United States founded before the American Civil War that still ope ...

in 1963, where he was elected to

Pi Gamma Mu Pi Gamma Mu or is an international honor society in the social sciences. The society was formed in 1924 at Southwestern College and the College of William & Mary. It is a member of the Association of College Honor Societies. History On Decem ...

and to

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...

. He completed his

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

in history from the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...

in 1968. He served as chief of staff to Senator

Ernest Hollings Ernest Frederick "Fritz" Hollings (January 1, 1922April 6, 2019) was an American politician from the U.S. state of South Carolina. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1949 ...

for almost 12 years before his appointment to the

United States Commerce Department The United States Department of Commerce (DOC) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government. It is responsible for gathering data for business and governmental decision making, establishing industrial standards, catalyzing econo ...

as assistant secretary.

FCC Commissioner

He served as one of the commissioners of the FCC from May 31, 2001 to December 31, 2011. He was acting chairman between January 22, 2009, and June 28, 2009. He relinquished the chairmanship to

after Genachowski was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on June 25 and then sworn in on June 29, 2009.

Comcast's acquisition of NBC Universal

On January 18, 2011 the FCC and the

United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a United States federal executive departments, federal executive department of the U.S. government that oversees the domestic enforcement of Law of the Unite ...

allowed Comcast to buy NBC Universal. Michael Copps was the only commissioner of the FCC to vote against the merger.FCC, Justice approve Comcast and NBC joint venture
Washington Post. Retrieved 20 January 2011 He said:
Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved 20 January 2011

Notes and references

External links

*
Michael Copps on Democracy Now! 2012-1-12
{{DEFAULTSORT:Copps, Michael 1940 births Living people Politicians from Milwaukee Wofford College alumni University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni Wisconsin Democrats Chairmen of the Federal Communications Commission Obama administration personnel Chiefs of staff to United States senators