NEWS
Federal Communications Commission
445 12th Street, S.W.
Washington, D. C.  20554
This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action.  Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action.
See MCI v. FCC. 515 F 2d 385 (D.C. Circ 1974).
News Media Information 202 / 418-0500
Internet: http://www.fcc.gov
TTY: 1-888-835-5322
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NEWS MEDIA CONTACT:
February 13, 2009 David Fiske at (202) 418-0513
ACTING CHAIRMAN COPPS ANNOUNCES 
MICHELE ELLISON AS ACTING GENERAL COUNSEL
Acting Chairman Michael Copps announced today that Michele Ellison will be the 
Acting General Counsel:
“I am delighted that Michele will be taking the reins as the Commission’s Acting General 
Counsel to help guide the Commission through the always complex and critically important legal 
matters that are routinely before us.  Her fourteen years in the General Counsel’s Office, most of 
them as Deputy General Counsel, means that she has basically seen it all whether that entailed 
complex litigation, significant communications policy, or difficult administrative law matters.  I 
am pleased that Michele will be bringing her wisdom, good judgment, and depth of experience to 
bear in helping the Commission navigate through the many issues ahead of us.”
On the resignation of Matthew Berry, Acting Chairman Copps stated:  “I want to thank 
Matthew for all of his hard work, good judgment and dedication to public service. His tireless 
efforts were so-often aimed at ensuring that the Commission avoided difficult waters before we 
ever stepped into them – an undoubtedly thankless but critically important job that many of us 
throughout the Commission were the beneficiaries of.  I wish Matthew all good things wherever 
the road shall take him.”
For the last twelve years, Ms. Ellison has served as the Deputy General Counsel.  She 
currently oversees the transactions and merger review functions of the Office as well as the 
bankruptcy and fraud litigation portfolios.  She joined the FCC in 1995 and since that time has 
provided leadership in many areas, including co-chairing the Commission’s Localism Task 
Force, leading a Task Force on expanding communications opportunities to small businesses and 
developing countries, and serving as senior advisor to former Chairman Kennard on a variety of 
agency-wide operational matters.  Prior to joining the Commission, Ms. Ellison was a Partner at 
Williams and Connolly in Washington, D.C.  She clerked for the Honorable Damon J. Keith of 
the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and for the Honorable Paul R. Webber, III of the 
D.C. Superior Court.  She received her J.D., cum laude from Howard University School of Law, 
and her B.A. from Duke University.  She is a member of the communications and District of 
Columbia bars.
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