FCC senior counselor to depart FCC in June

Senior Counselor Colin Crowell will depart the FCC next month to "to explore other professional opportunities," the commission announced Monday.

It is not immediately clear who will replace Crowell, who served as a liaison between the FCC, other federal agencies and congressional lawmakers.

“It has been a true privilege to work with such a talented FCC team, committed to advancing Chairman [Julius] Genachowski’s pro-innovation agenda,” Crowell said. “Chairman Genachowski has been a great friend and the decision to leave was not an easy one. Yet after twenty two years in public service, it’s time for me to explore other professional opportunities.”

Crowell joined the FCC in 2009, after twenty years of telecommunications and broadband work on Capitol Hill. As a top staffer for Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.), chairman of the House telecommunications subcommittee, he helped draft legislation spanning from the 1996 Telecommunications Act to the broadband provisions of the 2009 federal stimulus.

His work has made him "indispensable to every key decision we've made," Genachowski said on Tuesday, adding his help on the National Broadband Plan has been "invaluable."

“He will be missed but I am sure he will continue to contribute his insights into the intersection of innovation and public policy in the next stage of his career,” the chairman said.

---