FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NEWS MEDIA CONTACT: January 17, 2002 David Fiske at (202) 418-0513 EDMOND J. THOMAS TO BE APPOINTED CHIEF OF THE OFFICE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY Washington, DC -- Michael K. Powell, Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, today announced that Edmond J. Thomas will be appointed as the Chief of the FCC's Office of Engineering and Technology (OET). Mr. Thomas brings over thirty-five years of management experience in engineering and technology to the Commission. He formerly served as the Chief Executive Officer of a subsidiary of Philips Electronics. He has also served in several senior positions in Bell Atlantic/NYNEX and AT&T. Mr. Thomas received a Masters Degree in Business Administration from Pace University. He also holds both a Masters of Science degree and Bachelors of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic University. "I am thrilled that Ed will be joining us at the Commission," remarked Chairman Powell, "he brings a wealth of technology development and management expertise to OET at a critical time for communications technology. I am confident that under Ed's leadership, the superb staff of OET will be well armed to take on sweeping, fast-paced changes that characterize the industries that we regulate and guide the Commission through the dynamic technical issues before us." Mr. Bruce Franca, acting OET Chief, and Mr. Julius Knapp will both continue to serve as Deputy Chiefs of OET. Mr. Franca has served as Acting Chief of OET since December 2000. During this time, Mr. Franca was responsible for developing and implementing the Chairman's Excellence in Engineering Program to enable Commission's staff to develop a strong fluency in technology. During his tenure at the FCC, Mr. Franca has been involved in a number of significant technical matters including the development of the Direct Broadcast Satellite and Personal Communications Services. He also led the FCC's technical efforts with regard to Digital Television and the development of the DTV Table of Allotments. Mr. Franca joined the Commission in 1974 and has served as Deputy Chief of OET since 1987. "Bruce Franca has done a stellar job over the past year as Acting Chief of OET," said Chairman Powell. "Bruce is an invaluable asset and the FCC is very fortunate to have him here." - FCC - News media Information 202 / 418-0500 TTY 202 / 418-2555 Fax-On-Demand 202 / 418-2830 Internet: http://www.fcc.gov ftp.fcc.gov Federal Communications Commission 445 12th Street, S.W. Washington, D. C. 20554 This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action. Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action. See MCI v. FCC. 515 F 2d 385 (D.C. Circ 1974).