FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: NEWS MEDIA CONTACT: May 31, 2001 David Fiske at 202-418-0513 MICHAEL J. COPPS SWORN IN AS FCC COMMISSIONER Washington, DC – Michael J. Copps was sworn in today as a member of the Federal Communications Commission for a term that runs until June 30, 2005. Copps served until January 2001 as Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Trade Development at the U.S. Department of Commerce, where he was previously Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Basic Industries. Copps came to Washington in 1970, joining the staff of Senator Ernest Hollings (D-SC) and serving for over a dozen years as Chief of Staff. He has also held positions at Collins and Aikman Corporation and the American Meat Institute. Before coming to Washington, Copps was a professor of U.S. History at Loyola University of the South. Following his swearing in, Commissioner Copps issued this statement: “I am enormously excited at the opportunity to serve as an FCC Commissioner. To be an active participant in the deliberations of the FCC as the telecommunications revolution transforms our lives and remakes our world is a real privilege. I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Commission, with the Congress, with industry and government and all the many other stakeholders to make sure that our nation continues to lead and prosper in this telecommunications revolution.” Copps received a B.A. from Wofford College and earned a Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Copps is married to the former Elizabeth Catherine Miller of New Orleans. They have five children and reside in Alexandria, VA. - 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).