FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NEWS MEDIA CONTACT May 9, 2001 Michelle Russo (202) 418-2358 DEBORAH LATHEN ANNOUNCES RESIGNATION AS FCC CABLE BUREAU CHIEF EFFECTIVE MAY 18 Washington, DC-Today Deborah A. Lathen announced her resignation as Chief of the Cable Services Bureau at the Federal Communications Commission effective May 18, 2001. In the letter of resignation to FCC Chairman Powell, Ms. Lathen wrote, "Public service over the past three years has been a richly rewarding experience for me. My parting thought is that I was given a rare privilege and deep honor to lead the Cable Services Bureau during a watershed time. Whatever the Bureau accomplished during my tenure would not have been possible without the incredible commitment and hard work of my dear colleagues at the FCC - the talented lawyers, economists, engineers and other professional staff who take great pride in ably serving the public." Chairman Powell said, "I have great respect and gratitude for the hard work Deborah has done during her time at the FCC. From directing merger reviews to supervising the day-to-day business of the bureau, she has made remarkable contributions and her leadership will be missed. It has been a pleasure to call Deborah a colleague and a friend. I wish her the best in her future endeavors." Ms. Lathen was appointed Cable Services Bureau Chief in May 1998 by former FCC Chairman William E. Kennard. During her tenure at the FCC, Ms. Lathen: ? Led the review of the $108 billion AOL/Time Warner merger, the $58 billion AT&T/MediaOne merger, and the $50 billion AT&T/TCI merger. ? Oversaw the agency's implementation of the Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act ("SHVIA"), which made sweeping changes to the law governing satellite TV and cleared the way for consumers to receive local TV channels over satellite. ? Led the bureau in the timely and successful completion of two of the most critical SHVIA rulemakings: retransmission consent between local broadcasters and satellite broadcasters who were required to carry local signals ("must carry") and program exclusivity and sports programming blackout rules. ? Provided leadership in the development and implementation of the national policy on Internet access to cable system facilities. ? Produced Broadband Today (Oct. 1999), an important report on the state of the Broadband industry. (Internet link www.fcc.gov/csb) Ms. Lathen said, "Working at the FCC has been one of the highlights of my career. At the same time, it has been all-consuming and I plan to spend time relaxing and reflecting as I consider new opportunities." - 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).