NEWS News media Information 202 / 418-0500Fax-On-Demand 202 / 418-2830TTY 202/418-2555Internet: http://www.fcc.govftp.fcc.gov 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). FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NEWS MEDIA CONTACT June 15, 2012 Neil Grace, (202) 418-0506 neil.grace@fcc.gov SHARON GILLETT, CHIEF, WIRELINE COMPETITION BUREAU TO STEP DOWN; JULIE VEACH NAMED BUREAU CHIEF (Washington, D.C.) – FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski announced today that Sharon Gillett will be departing the Commission and leaving her role as Chief of the Wireline Competition Bureau to return to the Boston area. Julie Veach, currently Deputy General Counsel in the Office of General Counsel, will serve as Chief of the Wireline Competition Bureau, effective June 30. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said, “Sharon is one of a kind, and the FCC's Wireline Competition Bureau could not have been in better hands over the past three years. She’s a strong leader, an innovative and data-driven thinker, and a highly effective manager. Her outstanding leadership, including on the once-in-a-generation overhaul of the Universal Service Fund and so many other important policies, have significantly helped our country, ensuring more Americans will have access to robust, affordable broadband and voice services. I wish her the very best in the next step of her career.” He continued, “Julie will bring her tremendous expertise in telecommunications law, thoughtful insight, and leadership to bear as Chief of the Wireline Competition Bureau. I am very pleased that she will be leading the Bureau.” Staff Bios Sharon Gillett is Chief of the Federal Communications Commission’s Wireline Competition Bureau. As Bureau Chief, she led the Bureau’s work on the Commission’s modernization and reform of the FCC’s Universal Service Fund, including the High Cost, Lifeline and Link Up, and E-rate programs, as well as efforts to streamline and reduce the cost of pole attachments. She has also led the Bureau’s work to advance special access. In addition, Gillett also led staff work on the CenturyLink-Qwest and Frontier- Verizon transactions before the Commission. Prior to joining the Commission, Ms. Gillett served as the Director of the Massachusetts Broadband Institute and previously headed the Massachusetts Department of Telecommunications and Cable. From 1995-2006, Ms. Gillett was at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where she engaged in academic research, program management, and teaching focused on Internet and Telecommunications Policy, with a particular focus on broadband. She is a former software engineer and manager at Thinking Machines Corp. and BBN Communications Corp, where she worked on ARPANET computer networking technology. Julie A. Veach currently serves as Deputy General Counsel for administrative and general law issues. Prior to joining the Office of General Counsel in 2009, she served as Deputy Chief of the Wireline 2Competition Bureau, where she led many of the Bureau's efforts involving broadband, competition, and data gathering and analysis. Ms. Veach also held a variety of other positions in the Wireline Competition Bureau. Before joining the FCC in 2001, Ms. Veach was an associate with the law firm of Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering, and she clerked for the Hon. Michael S. Kanne of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. She graduated magna cum laude from the Indiana University School of Law and holds a B.A. from Purdue University. - FCC - News and information about the Federal Communications Commission is available at www.fcc.gov