STATEMENT OF COMMISSIONER MIGNON L. CLYBURN Re: Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service, CC Docket No. 96-45 It is my pleasure to welcome a former colleague and good friend, Commissioner Randy Mitchell from the Public Service Commission of South Carolina, to the Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service. Commissioner Mitchell and I share a long history in the utility regulatory space, in that we were both sworn in on the same day for state service in July of 1998. I can affirm that he is always willing to collaborate on effective solutions that serve the public interest, and I look forward to the opportunity to resume that spirit of cooperation on the Joint Board. As is common with most transitions, however, it is with great sadness that we bid adieu to Commissioner Larry Landis of the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission. Commissioner Landis has served this Joint Board well, and his communications expertise will be sorely missed. His dedication to rural America cannot be outdone, and on a personal level, I count him as one of the best confidants and mentors that I have encountered in this field. Fortunately for us, Commissioner Landis will remain as the State Chair of the 706 Joint Conference, so the FCC will continue to benefit from his public service and unparalleled commitment, to ensuring that all Americans have access to communications networks, no matter where they live.