Michael Joseph Copps (born April 23, 1940) is a former Commissioner of the U.S.

Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisdicti ...

(FCC), an

independent agency of the United States government Independent agencies of the United States federal government are agencies that exist outside the federal executive departments (those headed by a Cabinet secretary) and the Executive Office of the President. In a narrower sense, the term refers ...

. He was sworn in on May 31, 2001 and served until December 31, 2011. He took on the additional role of acting chairman from January 22, 2009 through June 28, 2009. He relinquished the chairmanship to

Julius Genachowski Julius Genachowski (born August 19, 1962) is an American lawyer and businessman. He became the Federal Communications Commission Chairman on June 29, 2009. On March 22, 2013, he announced he would be leaving the FCC in the coming weeks. On Januar ...

after Genachowski was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on June 25 and then sworn in on June 29, 2009. He is currently a special adviser to the Media and Democracy Reform Initiative at Common Cause, a nonpartisan citizen advocacy organization.

Biography

Early life, education

Copps was born in

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. He was a

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professors ...

of history at Loyola University New Orleans, from 1967 to 1970. He obtained his B.A. from

Wofford College Wofford College is a private liberal arts college in Spartanburg, South Carolina. It was founded in 1854. The campus is a national arboretum and one of the few four-year institutions in the southeastern United States founded before the America ...

in 1963, where he was elected to

Pi Gamma Mu Pi Gamma Mu or (from Πολιτικές Γνώσεως Μάθεται) is the oldest and preeminent honor society in the social sciences. It is also the only interdisciplinary social science honor society. It serves the various social science dis ...

and to

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal ...

. He completed his

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

in history from the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

in 1968. He served as chief of staff to Senator

Ernest Hollings Ernest Frederick "Fritz" Hollings (January 1, 1922April 6, 2019) was an American politician who served as a United States senator from South Carolina from 1966 to 2005. A conservative Democrat, he was also the 106th governor of South Carolina, ...

for almost 12 years before his appointment to the

United States Commerce Department The United States Department of Commerce is an executive department of the U.S. federal government concerned with creating the conditions for economic growth and opportunity. Among its tasks are gathering economic and demographic data for bu ...

as assistant secretary.

FCC Commissioner

He served as one of the commissioners of the FCC from May 31, 2001 to December 31, 2011. He was acting chair between January 22, 2009, and June 28, 2009. He relinquished the chairmanship to

after Genachowski was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on June 25 and then sworn in on June 29, 2009.

Comcast's acquisition of NBC Universal

On January 18, 2011 the FCC and the

United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United Stat ...

allowed Comcast to buy NBC Universal. Michael Copps was the only commissioner of the FCC to vote against the merger.FCC, Justice approve Comcast and NBC joint venture
Washington Post. Retrieved 20 January 2011 He said:
Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved 20 January 2011

Notes and references

External links

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Michael Copps at SourcewatchMichael Copps on Democracy Now! 2012-1-12
{{DEFAULTSORT:Copps, Michael 1940 births Living people Politicians from Milwaukee Wofford College alumni University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni Wisconsin Democrats Chairmen of the Federal Communications Commission Recipients of the Four Freedoms Award Obama administration personnel