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 March 20, 2013 Brigid Calamis: brigid.calamis@fcc.gov STATEMENT OF COMMISSIONER ROBERT M. McDOWELL ANNOUNCING HIS PLANS TO STEP DOWN FROM THE FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION IN THE NEAR FUTURE The following statement can be attributed to Commissioner Robert M. McDowell: After nearly seven years of carrying out the incredibly high honor of serving the American people at the FCC, it is time to turn more of my energies towards an even higher calling: serving my family. After a great deal of deliberation, I have decided that I will step down as a commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission in a few weeks. Today’s announcement is not a farewell. As you know, I don’t do well with those, so let’s avoid all of that for now and tackle that challenge another day. I will also save most of my expressions of appreciation for a later date. But I would be remiss if I didn’t offer up some of the bigger thank-yous right away, such as to: God, my parents, my beautiful bride Jennifer, our three amazing children, as well as our large family-at-large, friends, all of my colleagues on the Commission - both past and present, and the talented and dedicated public servants throughout the FCC, especially all of the wonderful and tireless professionals who have worked on my team in my office. Please keep in mind that trying to make me look good day after day as we fought for freedom must have been quite a challenge for them. I would also like to thank the individuals who literally handed me this job, twice: first and foremost, Senator Ted Stevens, President George W. Bush, Senator Mitch McConnell and President Barack Obama, as well as many Members of Congress. Thank you for placing such enormous trust in me. Again, this is not a time for farewells, I’m just announcing my plans to step down sometime soon. So what am I doing next? I will be talking to the FCC’s Chief Ethics Officer, Patrick J. Carney, to make sure that my departure is in full compliance with the letter and spirit of all of our ethics rules. Beyond that, I have no plans other than to take my family on a much-needed vacation starting this weekend. So until the farewells, as always, may God bless each of you and our great nation. --FCC--