Acting FCC Chairwoman Rosenworcel Appoints Acting General Counsel and Acting Wireless Chief

Acting Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced the appointment of P. Michele Ellison as Acting General Counsel and Joel Taubenblatt as Acting Chief of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau.  Tom Johnson is stepping down as General Counsel and has agreed to continue to serve in the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau. Don Stockdale will be transitioning to the Office of Economics and Analytics.

P. Michele Ellison was most recently the Deputy General Counsel of the FCC, a position she has held for most of her 25-year tenure at the agency. Ellison managed the multi-billion dollar transactions, bankruptcy, and fraud portfolio. She also has the distinction of being the first woman of color to serve as the agency’s Chief of Staff, Chief of the Enforcement Bureau, and Acting General Counsel. At present, she chairs the FCC’s Connect2Health Task Force. Ellison also played a pivotal role on national broadband planning under Acting Chairman Michael Copps, served as Transition Counsel to Commissioner (then Chief of Staff to Acting Chairwoman) Mignon Clyburn, and advised Chairman William Kennard as his Deputy Chief of Staff.

Joel Taubenblatt was most recently the Deputy Bureau Chief of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, a position he has held for one-third of his 25-year career with the FCC. Taubenblatt has managed a range of issues regarding spectrum access and availability, network and infrastructure deployment, and intermodal and intramodal competition. Taubenblatt previously held several leadership positions in the Bureau, including Chief of the Competition and Infrastructure Policy Division and Chief of the Broadband Division.