POLICYMAKER EXCELLENCE AWARD - FEDERAL

THE HONORABLE MICHAEL J. COPPS
Commissioner
Federal Communications Commission

Michael J. Copps has shown an abiding interest in the educational and local public service programming on cable; he has used his office to promote local news and public affairs programming on systems around the country. He was nominated for a second term as a member of the Federal Communications Commission on November 9, 2005, and was sworn in on January 3, 2006. His current term runs until June 30, 2010. His first term began in 2001.

Copps served from 1998 until January 2001 as Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Trade Development at the U.S. Department of Commerce. In that role, Copps worked to improve market access and market share for nearly every sector of American industry, including information technologies and telecommunications. Copps devoted much of his time to building private sector-public sector partnerships to enhance our nation's success in the global economy.

From 1993 to 1998, Copps served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Basic Industries, a component of the Trade Development Unit.

Copps moved to Washington in 1970, joined the staff of Senator Fritz Hollings (D-SC) and served for more than a dozen years as Administrative Assistant and Chief of Staff. from 1985 to 1989, he served as director of Government Affairs for a Fortune 500 company. From 1989 to 1993, he was Senior Vice President for Legislative Affairs at a major national trade association.

Copps, a native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, received a B.A. from Wofford College and earned a Ph.D. in United States history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He taught U.S. history at Loyola University of the Aouth from 1967 to 1970.

"The more I grasp the pervasive influence of media on our children, the more I worry about the media literacy gap in our nation's educational curriculum. We need a sustained K-12 media literacy program-something to teach kids not only how to use the media but how the media uses them. Kids need to know how particular messages get crafted and why, what devices are used to hold their attention and what ideas are left out. In a culture where media is pervasive and invasive, kids need to think critically about what they see, hear and read. No child's education can be complete without this." Michael J. Copps