Kaplan to Succeed Gottlieb as Chief Counsel to FCC Chairman Genachowski

On July 6, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski announced the appointment of Rick Kaplan as Chief Counsel and Senior Legal Advisor. He will succeed Bruce Gottlieb, the Chairman's current Chief Counsel and Senior Legal Advisor, who will be leaving the FCC at the end of July, after four and a half years of service.

Kaplan will manage the Commission's overall agenda and will be responsible for policy coordination among the Bureaus and Offices. In addition, he will have particular responsibility for wireless, engineering and technology, and public safety issues. Kaplan has served as the Chief of Staff for Commissioner Mignon Clyburn since her appointment in August 2009. He first joined the Commission in early 2009 as deputy coordinator of the DTV task force, where he oversaw a number of aspects of the Commission's role in the nation's successful transition to digital television. Prior to his service at the Commission, Mr. Kaplan worked as an associate at Sidley Austin LLP, where he focused on appellate litigation and regulatory matters. Mr. Kaplan also served in the Office of the General Counsel at the U.S. House of Representatives, where he was primarily responsible for litigating and advising Members of Congress on separation of powers issues.

FCC Commissioner Michael Copps said, "One of my great pleasures as a Commissioner has been working with Bruce Gottlieb, both when he was my Wireless and International Advisor and in his more recent capacity as Chairman Genachowski's Chief Counsel and Senior Legal Advisor. Bruce brought brilliance and deep commitment to public service to the FCC. His research and analytical abilities were among the very best I have seen in my 40 years in Washington. His oral and writing skills were similarly top-drawer. I developed a high degree of confidence in his judgment and in his creative approach to problem-solving, and I knew that no matter what issue he was working on, he always searched for the outcome that best served the public interest."