Federal Communications Commission	DA 21-951


											DA 21-951
									Released August 10, 2021

ACTING CHAIRWOMAN ROSENWORCEL ANNOUNCES 
THE APPOINTMENT OF THREE NEW MEMBERS TO 
THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel today announced the appointment of three new members to the FCC’s Intergovernmental Advisory Committee (IAC): Lisa Babcock, City Council Member, East Lansing, Michigan; Lynn Board, City Attorney of Gaithersburg, Maryland; and Ted Wheeler, Mayor, City of Portland, Oregon.  The IAC provides policy guidance, expertise, and recommendations to the Commission on a range of communications issues for which local, state, and Tribal governments share responsibility or administration with the Commission.

On November 6, 2019, the Commission announced the reauthorization of the IAC for a term of two years. FCC Announces Reauthorization of Its Intergovernmental Advisory Committee and Solicits Nominations for Membership on the Committee, Public Notice, 34 FCC Rcd 10332 (2019); FCC Announces Extension of Deadline to Submit Nominations for Membership on the Intergovernmental Advisory Committee, 34 FCC Rcd 11208 (2019); FCC Further Extends Deadline to Submit Nominations for Membership on the Intergovernmental Advisory Committee, Public Notice, DA 20-37 2020, WL 133096 (CGB Jan. 10, 2020).
  On August 13, 2020, the Commission named the membership of the reauthorized IAC and declared that the IAC’s two-year term would begin with its first meeting, Chairman Pai Announces the New Members of The Intergovernmental Advisory Committee, Public Notice, DA 20-878 2020, WL 4744729 (CGB Aug. 13, 2020).
 which occurred on September 22, 2020. FCC Announces the First Meeting of the 2020 Intergovernmental Advisory Committee, Public Notice, DA 20-979 2020, WL 5104453 (CGB Aug. 28, 2020).
  The new members will serve through the end of the IAC’s current term, which runs through September 22, 2022.  The next meeting date for the IAC will be announced in a subsequent public notice.

Pursuant to Section 0.701(b) of the Commission’s rules, the IAC consists of thirty members (or their designated employees), with a minimum of four elected municipal officials (city mayors and city council members); two elected county officials (county commissioners or council members); one elected or appointed local government attorney; one elected state executive (governor or lieutenant governor); three elected state legislators; one elected or appointed public utilities or public service commissioner; and three elected or appointed Tribal representatives. See 47 CFR § 0.701 (b).
  

Two of the new appointments will fill vacancies created by the departure of former Gilbert, Arizona Mayor Jenn Daniels, who left office, and former Virginia Beach, Virginia Associate City Attorney Debra Bryan, who took another position with the City of Virginia Beach.  East Lansing Michigan City Councilwoman Lisa Babcock will fill the vacancy of an elected municipal official and Gaithersburg Maryland City Attorney Lynn Board will fill the vacancy of an elected or appointed local government attorney.

The third appointment results from the expansion of the IAC from thirty to thirty-one members by temporary waiver of Section 0.701(b) of the Commission’s rules to increase the geographic diversity of voices on the IAC. Id.  The Commission may waive any provision of its rules if good cause is shown.  47 CFR § 1.3; Northeast Cellular Telephone Co. v. FCC, 897 F.2d 1164, 1166 (D.C. Cir. 1990); WAIT Radio v. FCC, 418 F.2d 1153, 1159 (D.C. Cir. 1969).  The Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, under delegated authority, may grant such waivers.  47 CFR § 0.363.  See also Chairman Wheeler Announces Intergovernmental Advisory Committee Members, Public Notice, 29 FCC Rcd 5961 (CGB 2014) (waiving FCC rules to increase the size of the IAC to allow an extra municipal official to serve). 
  By this temporary waiver, the Acting Chairwoman has appointed Portland, Oregon Mayor Ted Wheeler to fill the role of an elected municipal official through the end of the IAC’s present term.  Mayor Wheeler will serve under this temporary waiver as the thirty-first member of the IAC through December 31, 2021.  Thereafter, Mayor Wheeler’s appointment will convert to a regular appointment to fill an upcoming vacancy and will run through the end of the IAC’s present term, September 22, 2022.  Mayor Wheeler has appointed Elisabeth Perez as his designee.  

EXEMPTION FROM THE FEDERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ACT

	Pursuant to the “intergovernmental communication” exemption of UMRA, See 2 U.S.C. § 1534 (b).
 the IAC is not subject to, and is not required to follow, the procedures set forth in the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), 5 U.S.C. App 2 (1988). See 47 CFR § 0.701(a).


ACCESSIBLE FORMATS

To request materials in accessible formats for people with disabilities (Braille, large print, electronic files, audio format), send an e-mail to fcc504@fcc.gov or call the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau at (202) 418-0530 (voice) or (202) 418-0432 (TTY).

FURTHER INFORMATION

For further information, please contact:  Donna Cyrus, Senior Attorney Advisor, Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, Federal Communications Commission, (202) 418-7325, donna.cyrus@fcc.gov. 
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