Business News - FCC Bureau Chief Resigns

Posted: 08/2000

FCC Bureau Chief Resigns
By Kim Sunderland

Federal Communications Commission Common Carrier Bureau Chief Lawrence E. Strickling has resigned.

Since November 1998, Strickling has presided over arguably the most controversial period at the FCC
(www.fcc.gov) since the Telecommunications Act of 1996 was signed into law. He guided the FCC bureau’s staff through the RBOC entrance into in-region, long-distance service provisioning, access charge reform and mega-mergers.

“Now that we’ve got the big projects out of the way, this is a good time to get back home,” Strickling says, referring to Chicago where his wife and children live.

As bureau chief, Strickling presided over contentious, high-profile telecom issues, including the approval of the first two applications allowing Bell companies into the long-distance market; the adoption of the CALLS access charge and universal service initiative; the development of new unbundling and collocation rules; the imposing of new rules to combat slamming; and to the creation of the “rocket docket” to resolve carrier disputes within 60 days.

Strickling has been with the FCC since September 1997 when he served as chairman of the Competition Enforcement Task Force. Dorothy Attwood has been named Strickling’s replacement. She has been senior legal advisor for FCC Chairman William Kennard since July 1999.

Prior to that, Attwood served as chief of the CCB’s enforcement division.