Media Contact: 
Anne Veigle, (202) 418-0506
anne.veigle@fcc.gov

For Immediate Release
  -- 
CHAIRMAN PAI ANNOUNCES GLENN WOROCH 
AS FCC’S NEW CHIEF ECONOMIST

WASHINGTON, October 2, 2020— Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai today announced the appointment of Glenn Woroch as Chief Economist of the Federal Communications Commission.  Dr. Woroch is Adjunct Professor Emeritus at University of California-Berkeley, where he has spent nearly three decades in key roles, including serving as Executive Director of the Center for Research on Telecommunications Policy at the Haas Business School from 1995 until 2013.  Earlier in his career, he was a senior member of the technical staff at GTE Labs.  

“Glenn is an extremely talented and respected economist, and his expertise in regulatory economics and telecommunications policy will be of great value to the Office of Economics and Analytics and the entire Commission,” said Chairman Pai. “We are fortunate to be able to draw upon his expertise in his new role as the next FCC Chief Economist.  I look forward to learning from his insights into various aspects of the Commission’s critical work.”

The FCC Chief Economist advises the Chairman, Commissioners, Bureaus, and Offices on economic issues, and typically serves a one-year term.  Dr. Woroch is based in the Office of Economics and Analytics.  He began working at the Commission on September 25, 2020.

“We are grateful to have Dr. Woroch join our team,” said Giulia McHenry, Chief of the Office of Economics and Analytics.  “His broad knowledge of the many economic issues that come before the Commission will provide important contributions to our work.” 

In addition to his leadership role in advancing telecommunications research at University of California-Berkeley, Dr. Woroch has served on the editorial boards of publications that are highly relevant to the Commission’s work, such as Information Economics & Policy, Journal of Regulatory Economics, and Telecommunications Policy.  He also has served as a peer reviewer for over a dozen other journals, including the American Economic Review, Economic Inquiry, Journal of Economic Literature, Journal of Law & Economics, and others.  Dr. Woroch has also advised or consulted with The Brattle Group, Compass Lexecon, and Deloitte.  

Chairman Pai thanked outgoing Dr. Jeffrey Prince for his excellent work during his term as FCC Chief Economist: “I very much appreciate Jeff’s outstanding work at the Commission during this past year.  His expertise was crucial on many items, including Inmate Calling Services, IP Captioned Telephone Service, the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund, and the 5G Fund, among others.  Jeff also elevated the professional development of the Commission’s economists through several initiatives which will produce long-lasting benefits for the Commission as a whole.”

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Media Relations: (202) 418-0500 / ASL: (844) 432-2275 / TTY: (888) 835-5322 / Twitter: @FCC / www.fcc.gov 

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. Cir. 1974).