Media Contact: Will Wiquist, (202) 418-0509 will.wiquist@fcc.gov For Immediate Release FCC REVIEWS ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE OFFICES OF COMMUNICATIONS BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES, MANAGING DIRECTOR, AND GENERAL COUNSEL -- WASHINGTON, January 13, 2021—The Federal Communications Commission today heard reports from leaders of the Office of Communications Business Opportunities, Office of the Managing Director, and Office of General Counsel on their work over the last few years. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai dedicated the entirety of the final meeting of his chairmanship to thanking Commission staff for their exceptional work and joining his colleagues in hearing presentations on staff efforts. Office of Communications Business Opportunities “Our team’s work over the last four years promoted competition in telecommunications ownership and information services for small, women, and minority-owned businesses, which is crucial to facilitating their ability to compete nationally and globally.” – Sanford S. Williams, Director, Office of Communications Business Opportunities The Office of Communications Business Opportunities’ presentation to the Commissioners summarized the hard work of the dedicated staff of the Office. In the last four years, the Office has connected with small businesses and American citizens in a variety of ways, both traditional and novel, including conferences, webinars, and an informational online video series. The team also conducted independent analyses of the Commission's policies and practices to ensure that they fully took into account the interests of small, women, and minority-owned businesses; and published numerous Small Entity Compliance Guides to delineate the impact of Commission rules on small businesses. Office of Managing Director “The OMD team is made up of a talented and diverse a group of dedicated professionals who work tirelessly to support the FCC’s mission; no prior year has challenged our commitment and ability to carry out our work the way 2020 did. I could not be more proud of my colleagues in OMD for their work and commitment demonstrated throughout the last several years, but especially these trying last 10 months.” – Deena Shetler, FCC Deputy Managing Director The Office of Managing Director’s presentation to the Commissioners focused on the team’s work managing the FCC with a special emphasis on efforts to help lead the Commission through the COVID-19 national health crisis while simultaneously relocating the FCC’s headquarters, rapidly deploying the information technology needed to launch the $200 million COVID-19 Telehealth Program, and processing over 67,000 invoices totaling over $1.4 billion to facilitate the post-incentive auction transition. OMD also continued its successful cost cutting efforts, saving the Commission several million dollars by streamlining printing, copying and mail delivery services. This has been an exceptionally difficult time for the FCC, and the team in Office of Managing Director rose to the challenge each and every day. Office of General Counsel “For the past four years, the Office of General Counsel has ensured that the Commission's most important work is legally sustainable—from closing the digital divide to streamlining onerous and outdated regulations to promoting deployment of 5G services. I am proud of the hard work my team has done, both within the agency and in court, to secure a more connected future for all Americans.” – Thomas Johnson, FCC General Counsel The Office’s presentation focused on the Commission’s legal accomplishments over the past four years, from winning 28 out of 31 appellate cases in whole or substantial part, to reviewing over 650 Commission-level items, to cutting down our FOIA response time in half, to recovering over $200 million in improper payments for the Universal Service Fund. The presentation also focused on the ways in which Commission attorneys played a vital role in responding to some of the unique challenges the FCC faced as an agency over the past four years, from the 2019 government shutdown to our office relocation to the COVID-19 crisis. The presentations, video of this meeting, and Chairman and Commissioner statements will be available and archived at: https://www.fcc.gov/news-events/events/2021/01/january-2021-open-commission-meeting. ### Media Relations: (202) 418-0500 / ASL: (844) 432-2275 / 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).