December 6, 2011: FCC Commissioner Michael Copps has, as expected, submitted his resignation, effective January 1. If a successor is confirmed or the Senate adjourns before that, he will depart the commission at that time. Copps has in his term on the commission been a fierce warrior against media consolidation and an advocate for greater indecency enforcement.
Copps said in a statement, "FCC is an agency of true excellence and its decisions are integral to our country's future. Ubiquitous, opportunity-creating broadband and a resource-rich media capable of informing our civic dialogue are critically important components of our future success as a people, and I intend to keep speaking about these challenges as a private citizen in the years ahead."
FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said, "Commissioner Michael Copps has been a great teacher, colleague, and friend. I applaud his deep and abiding respect for public service during the past 41 years, his unflagging dedication to American consumers, and the passion and eloquence of his public statements. We will long remember and be inspired by the work of Commissioner Copps to give voice to the voiceless and to fight for the public interest."
President Obama in November nominated Jessica Rosenworcel, an adviser to Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), to fill the slot vacated by Copps' pending departure, while also naming attorney Ajit Vanradara Pai, a former deputy general counsel at the FCC, to fill the Republican commission seat that opened up with the departure of Meredith Attwell Baker in June.
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