Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski is losing a senior member of his staff. Colin Crowell, senior counselor to the chairman, is leaving the commission in June.
Chairman Genachowski stated that Crowell has been “indispensable to every key decision we’ve made and his rare combination of policy smarts, wise counsel, and communications expertise has been invaluable to me and the agency as we developed our broadband agenda.”
Crowell came to Genachowski’s team in 2009 from the office of Edward Markey, D-Mass., where he had been the top telecommunications staffer when Markey was chairman of the House Telecommunications Subcommittee. Crowell was also on Markey’s personal staff when the Massachusetts Democrat was the subcommittee’s ranking member.
Crowell was credited as the lead staffer on many landmark laws, including the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and the bill that required the commission to develop a national broadband plan.
Crowell stated that the decision to leave was not easy, but after 22 years in public service “it’s time to explore other professional opportunities.”
No replacement has been named.