Washington, D.C. – FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski today announced Jamie Barnett, Rear Admiral USNR (Retired), Chief of the FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (PSHSB), will leave his position at the end of the month to return to the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies, a leading science and technology policy think tank, where he will be Senior Vice President. David Furth, currently a Deputy Chief in PSHSB, will serve as Acting Bureau Chief.

Chairman Genachowski said, “Jamie is an extraordinarily talented and effective leader, a valued colleague, and an outstanding and dedicated public servant. Thanks to his efforts, our country’s communications networks are stronger and more resilient, and Americans are and will be safer in significant ways. I wish Jamie the best as he moves on to the next stage of an already distinguished career.”

Rear Admiral Barnett has been the Chief of PSHSB since he came to the Commission in July 2009.

Under Admiral Barnett’s leadership, the bureau played a leading role in the establishment of the public safety broadband network. He created the Cybersecurity and Communications Reliability Division within PSHSB, which supported major cybersecurity work by a federal advisory committee known as the Communications Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council (CSRIC). In March 2012, CSRIC delivered a voluntary Code of Conduct for Internet service providers (ISPs) to remediate botnets as well as recommendations to secure the Domain Name System and prevent Internet route hijacking.

Barnett also proposed the first ever nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS), which was conducted on November 9, 2011, to identify and correct problems in the nation’s ability to notify Americans of a major disaster or crisis. During his tenure, PSHSB has adopted rules to increase the location accuracy of 9-1-1 calls coming from wireless callers and has laid the ground work for Next Generation 9-1-1, which will include the ability to reach 9-1-1 with text, photos and videos. Barnett also led an effort to defeat contraband cell phones in prisons through the use of innovative technologies.

Admiral Barnett served in the Navy and Navy Reserve for 32 years, and his last position before retiring in 2008 was Deputy Commander of the Navy Expeditionary Combat Command. Before joining the Commission, he was a Senior Research Fellow at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies. Admiral Barnett earned his Juris Doctor and undergraduate degrees from the University of Mississippi.

— FCC —