Statement of Commissioner Michael J. Copps Announcing His Departure from the FCC
“Yesterday, I submitted to the President notice of my intention to resign my post as Commissioner effective January 1, 2012,” said FCC Commissioner Michael J. Copps. “Should the Senate confirm my successor prior to that date, or should the Senate adjourn sine die before January 1st, I would of course be leaving sooner. It has been a privilege and honor to serve for more than ten years as a Commissioner. The 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. It has been the highest honor to serve with my colleagues on the Commission. I thank them all for their dedication, collegiality and friendship. I also owe an enormous debt to the Commission staff. Their professionalism and dedication to the public interest stands as a model of government service.”
December 7, 2011, Alexandria, Va. – Today, the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International congratulated Commissioner Michael Copps for his long tenure as FCC Commissioner and, in a particular, for his strong and consistent support for improving public safety communications. “Commissioner Copps, who received APCO’s Leadership in Advancing Communications Policy Award in 2007, has been at the forefront of FCC consideration of issues such as improved interoperability, E911 location accuracy, and public safety broadband communications,” said Derek Poarch, Executive Director of APCO International. “He has been a true public servant and friend to the public safety community, and we wish him well in his retirement.”
About APCO International
APCO International is the world’s largest organization of public safety communications professionals. It serves the needs of public safety communications practitioners worldwide—and the welfare of the general public as a whole—by providing complete expertise, professional development, technical assistance, advocacy and outreach.
