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Volume 1, Issue 1 Summer 2002 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Connector 

Putting Consumers First 

Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau

CGB: From The Chief......................................2

Building Bridges: CGB Partners.........................4

Outside The Beltway.......................................5

Hot Programs: Get Connected..........................6

Consumer Tips: Military Calling.........................7

Contact Us...................................................8

The opinions expressed in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the 

Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau or the Federal Communications Commission, its Chairman or Commissioners, Bureaus, or other Commission staff members. This document has been prepared from various sources 

and it is believed that the information provided is reliable. However, the CGB staff makes no representation as to its 

accuracy or completeness. This document is for FCC informational and public release purposes only. 
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 CGB 

The Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau 

 Is Open For Business! 

 by K. Dane Snowden, Chief, CGB

 CGB is the FCC’s primary link to telecommunications consumers - and that’s just 

about everybody. We deal with all kinds of consumer-related matters, from 

answering questions and resolving informal complaints, to identifying consumer 

concerns and distributing informational materials in response. We act as a bridge to 

connect the key groups vital to ensuring excellent consumer service: the FCC; state, 

local and tribal governments; the telecommunications industry; and, of course, 

consumers. When these groups work together to share information and address 

concerns, our common goal - consumer satisfaction - is achieved. 

 The most obvious change in the Bureau is our new name. We’ve changed from 

Consumer Information Bureau to Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau, reflecting in part the additional responsibilities the Bureau has assumed for intergovernmental affairs. The intergovernmental affairs function is aimed at ensuring a close working relationship with other federal agencies, and with state, local and tribal governments and a coordinated effort to keep consumers informed on telecommunications 

matters. This function also encompasses CGB’s role as liaison to the Local and 

State Government Advisory Committee (LSGAC). 

 To ensure we achieve our goals, I have asked some familiar faces to assume new 

responsibilities within CGB. Margaret Egler and Thomas Wyatt have each been 

promoted to Deputy Bureau Chief. Margaret has been with the FCC for eight years 

and leads our policy work, which includes both the Policy Division and the Disability 

Rights Office. Thomas joined the agency 18 years ago and is responsible for the 

Information Access and Privacy Office and the Consumer Inquiries and Complaints 

Division, which includes the Washington and Gettysburg Consumer Centers. 

 A new addition to the staff is Robert “Doc” Mirelson who is the Deputy Bureau Chief 

for Consumer Affairs. He is responsible for managing the Bureau’s consumer 

outreach efforts. Kris Monteith has joined the Bureau as Associate Bureau Chief for 

Intergovernmental Affairs. Formerly Chief of the Policy Division in the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, Kris leads our policy coordination efforts with other federal 

agencies and tribal, state and local governments. Chief of Staff Barbara Douglas will 

continue to work closely with the deputies, other senior staff, and me in developing 

and implementing Bureau initiatives. 

 Another change for the Bureau is a proactive approach to our business. Moving 

forward, it is our plan to have the Bureau identify and track trends that affect 

consumers. The Policy Division’s Analysis Branch will take the lead in trend analysis. 

Our goal is to identify an issue and address it before it becomes a problem. This is 

particularly important as we prepare information for our Consumer Centers and 

outreach staff. 
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 The Bureau is also placing a greater 

emphasis on using technology to 

achieve our objectives. Our Internet and 

intranet Web sites are vital to this effort. 

 Steve Gorey, Chief of our Systems 

Support Office, and his staff are working 

hard to ensure consumers have ready 

access to vital information. 

 The Systems Support Office manages 

the consumer Web pages 

(www.fcc.gov/cgb) for the FCC and coordinates the Bureau’s intranet site. It 

also works to enhance CGB’s Consumer 

Centers’ and complaint taking technology. 

 Our new Bureau is also reaching out to 

various communities and audiences. 

Among the Consumer Centers’ staff are 

Spanish-speaking Consumer Advocacy 

and Mediation Specialists (CAMSs). 

They work with consumers who prefer to 

conduct their business in Spanish. 

 Another way we want to connect with 

people inside and outside the Commission is through this newsletter. Our 

goal is to create an interesting and 

informative product. We’ll be letting you 

know about consumer issues, outreach 

programs, and the people in CGB who 

are making our programs work. 

 When your office has a program or 

item of consumer interest, please share 

it with Rosemary Kimball (202-418-0511) 

or Doc Mirelson (202-418-7489), so we 

can get the word out. 

 

 Christian is a 

bilingual Con-sumer 

Advocacy and 

Mediation Specialist 

(CAMS) in the 

Consumer Inquiries 

and Complaints 

Division. He responds to requests for 

information and informal complaints that 

come into the Bureau. While he takes 

requests and complaints in both English 

and Spanish, 80 percent of his work is 

conducted in Spanish. 

 Christian has appeared on behalf of 

CGB on Telemundo and on Bloomberg 

Radio Spanish Language Service to talk 

about FCC consumer initiatives. 

 He joined the Commission in January 

2001 and is one of our three CAMSs who 

are native Spanish speakers. 

 Christian was born in Lima, Peru, and 

immigrated to the United States in 1987. 

He joined the U.S. Navy in 1990 and was 

stationed on the USS Seattle in Saudi 

Arabia during the Persian Gulf War in 

1990-1991. 

 He holds a bachelor’s degree in 

psychology from George Mason 

University, Fairfax, VA, and is pursuing a 

master’s degree in National Security and 

Intelligence Studies at the American 

Military University. 

 CGB Christian Fiascunari 

From The Chief (cont’d.) 
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 When it comes to implementing programs and regulations to bring the benefits of the 

information revolution to as many people as possible in our country, the FCC does not act in 

a vacuum. We have many partners, and CGB is the Bureau charged with working with 

federal, tribal, state and local groups. Leading this effort is Kris Monteith, Associate Bureau 

Chief for Intergovernmental Affairs, with the support of Dr. Emily Hoffnar, Staff Chair of the 

Federal-State Joint Conference on Advanced Telecommunications Services and FCC’s 

liaison to the Local and State Government Advisory Committee. 

 The Local and State Government Advisory Committee (LSGAC) was formed in 1997 to 

advise the FCC on issues of concern to state, local and tribal governments. The 15-member 

LSGAC meets at the FCC every other month to discuss and make recommendations to the 

Commission on topics that concern most levels of government. Examples include right of 

way management and rulemaking proceedings. The majority of LSGAC members represent 

local governments - cities or counties. The CGB Web site has a link to the LSGAC site. 

 The LSGAC also links the FCC to several important organizations, including the National 

Governors Association, the National League of Cities, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the 

National Conference of State Legislatures, the National Association of Telecommunications 

Officers and Advisors, and the National Association of Counties. 

 The Federal-State Joint Conference on Advanced Telecommunications Services 

(Joint Conference) was formed in 1999 to help fulfill the promise of Section 706 of the 

Telecommunications Act of 1996 - to encourage the deployment of advanced 

telecommunications services to all Americans. The FCC Chairman, all of the FCC 

Commissioners and five state PSC commissioners are members of the Joint Conference. 

FCC Commissioner Kevin Martin is the Chair. 

 The Joint Conference is planning the next round of field visits, which will focus on 

increasing consumer awareness of the options for ad- vanced services like 

DSL, cable modems and wireless Internet. 

FCC

Consum er

Industry 

Government 

 Agencies 

Consumers 

 Tribal 

Nations FCC

Building Bridges 

CGB Partners: Keys To Success 
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Jenifer Simpson 

 Jenifer Simpson 

is a Telecommunications 

Accessibility Specialist in 

CGB’s Consumer 

Inquiries and Complaints 

Division. She joined the 

FCC in February 1999 

following two years as the Employment Advisor 

on Technology at the President's Committee on 

Employment of People With Disabilities 

(PCEPD). There she worked to help reduce the 

high level of unemployment among adults with 

disabilities. 

 Before joining the federal government, 

Jenifer was a Senior Policy Associate at United 

Cerebral Palsy Association’s (UCP) national 

headquarters in Washington, DC. At UCP her 

legislative and regulatory portfolio included 

social security, civil rights, housing, technology 

and transportation. Her primary focus, 

however, was always on technology, including 

telecommunications. Jenifer worked on many 

technology and telecommunications policy 

initiatives in her ten years with UCP. She was a 

founding member and five-year chairperson of 

the Consortium For Citizens With Disabilities 

Task Force on Commu-nications Access and 

Telecommunications that was instrumental in 

ensuring inclusion of disability access 

safeguards (Section 255) in the 

Telecommunications Act of 1996. She also 

worked on the Assistive Technology Act and 

Title IV of the ADA (Telecommunications Relay 

Services). She was the Principal Investigator 

for one of the few research studies ever 

conducted on telecommunications access 

needs for people with severe speech disabilities 

sponsored by the National Institute on Disability 

Research & Rehabilitation. 

 Jenifer graduated magna cum laude in Arts 

& Communications from the University of 

Massachusetts in 1984. 

 

 

 One of CGB’s most important 

missions is to take the Commission’s 

message “beyond the beltway.” While 

a lot of this is done by placing 

interviews and stories in the media 

across the country and using satellite 

hook-ups to appear on far-flung 

television programs, there is no 

substitute for meeting in person with 

consumers, industry groups and 

government agencies. The Bureau is 

firmly committed to outreach, and we’ll 

be reporting regularly on where we’ve 

been and what we’ve been doing 

across the country. 

 The CGB staff has met with 

consumers throughout the country to 

let them know what’s happening at the 

FCC and to hear what’s on their 

minds. 

 In January, Bureau Chief K. Dane 

Snowden and Jenifer Simpson, a 

Telecommunications Accessibility 

Specialist (see sidebar), traveled to 

St. Paul, MN, to speak at a forum 

entitled “Emergency Information: 

Television Access for People with 

Hearing Disabilities.” It was 

sponsored by the Minnesota 

Department of Public Safety, Division 

of Emergency Management 

Emergency Response, and 

Communication Services for the Deaf 

(the Minnesota Telecommunications 

Relay Services provider). The forum 

dealt with access to emergency 

information in video programming and 

was targeted at television industry 

professionals and consumers. 

 Outside The Beltway

On The Road With CGB
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 Imagine living without a phone. That’s probably not easy since many of us take telephone 

access for granted. It is our link to emergency and other critical services, the way we look for 

jobs, and one way we stay in touch with family and friends. Yet, for some of us, the cost of 

telephone service is prohibitive. 

 To promote increased access, there are two discount programs that help low-income 

consumers afford telephone service - the Lifeline Assistance Program (Lifeline) and 

Link-Up America (Link-Up). Unfortunately, many people who are eligible for these programs 

are unaware of them. According to certain estimates, only about 30 percent of qualified 

consumers participate in these programs. On American Indian and Alaskan Native tribal 

lands, only about 15 percent of those who qualify participate. 

 CGB began the “Get Connected: Afford-A-Phone” initiative, a national public education 

campaign, to increase awareness of Lifeline and Link-Up (www.fcc.gov/cgb/getconnected). 

These federal programs provide qualifying low-income consumers with discounts on basic 

monthly telephone service and initial telephone installation charges, respectively. 

 The FCC’s “Get Connected” education campaign provides information to potential Lifeline

and Link-Up subscribers through federal, state, tribal and local government agencies serving 

low-income consumers. We’ve also asked social service and community-based organizations, 

and faith-based groups to help spread the word about the programs. We’ve encouraged lowincome consumers to contact their local telephone companies to see if they are eligible to 

receive Lifeline and Link-Up discounts. For more information, please visit our Web site at 

www.fcc.gov/cgb/getconnected. 

 

 CGB Kicks Off “Get Connected: Afford-A-Phone” Campaign 

Hot Programs Hot Programs 

 Federal Communications Commission 

Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau 

 1-888-CALL-FCC (Voice) 

1-888-TELL-FCC (TTY) www.fcc.gov/cib 

 Get 

 Connected: 

 Programs to 

 Help You Afford 

 Phone Service 

88-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322). TTY: 1-888-TELL-FCC (1-888-835-5322) . www. gov/ fcc. cgb . . munications Commission Consum . er & Governmental Affairs Bureau 445 12th St., SW Washington, DC 20554 . .

Conéctese: Un teléfono a su alcance 

Una campaña para grupos necesitados 

Asistencia Lifeline y Link Up America
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Hot Programs Consumer Tips 

Calling Home...Tips For Department Of Defense 

Civilians, Servicemembers, And Their Families... 

 Recent events have reinforced the importance of the contributions the Department of Defense (DoD) makes to America. While many Armed Forces 

members and civilian employees of DoD are deployed or away from their 

home stations, they often have difficulty staying in touch with family and 

friends. 

Lack of access to telecommunications services or just the high cost of calling can keep men and women serving away from home, in the U.S. or abroad, 

from hearing the familiar voices of friends and family. To help DoD personnel 

stay in touch, the FCC launched the “Calling Home” program in May during 

Armed Forces Appreciation Month. 

“Armed Forces Appreciation Month is an especially appropriate time for us 

to think about the sacrifices made by members of the Services and Defense 

Department civilians,” said K. Dane Snowden, Chief, FCC Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau, when the campaign was launched. “It’s also a perfect time to think about ways we can make their lives a little easier,” he said. 

A new FCC brochure titled, “Calling Home: What You Should Know,”

contains information about making long-distance contact cheaper for Defense 

personnel and their families. Options such as using “Dial Around” or 

“International Callback” services are explained. Special carrier plans are discussed, as well as using the Internet to keep in touch. 

The “Calling Home” brochures are available several 

different ways. They are posted on the CGB section of 

the FCC’s Web site (www.fcc.gov/cgb/military). 

Thousands were mailed to organizations and associations affiliated with DoD for further distribution. Consumers may also request copies directly from the FCC 

at, 1-888 -CALL-FCC (1-888-225-

5322) voice or 1-888 -TELL-FCC (1-888-

835-5322) TTY. 

 For more information about 

 “Calling Home”, visit 

 www.fcc.gov/cgb/military
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 Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau 

 Management Team 

K. Dane Snowden Bureau Chief 418-1400

 

Barbara Douglas Chief of Staff 418-7589 

Thomas Wyatt Deputy Bureau Chief 418-0963

 (Inquiries & Complaints) 

Margaret Egler Deputy Bureau Chief 418-2319

 (Policy) 

Robert Mirelson Deputy Bureau Chief 418-7489

 (Consumer Affairs) 

Kris Monteith Associate Bureau Chief 418-1098

 (Intergovernmental Affairs) 

Stephen Gorey Chief 418-2680

 Systems Support Office 

Patricia Green Associate Bureau Chief 418-1571 

 (Management) 

K. Michele Walters Chief 418-1774 

 Policy Division 

Pam Gregory Director 418-2498

 Disability Rights Office 

 

Sumita Mukhoty Director 418-7165

 Information Access 

 & Privacy Office 

Jack Forsythe Chief 418-2294 

 Consumer Inquiries 

 & Complaints Division 

Martha Contee Chief 418-0263 

 Consumer Affairs Division 

Bill Cline Chief 418-0267 

 Reference Information 

 Center 

Stacey Mesa Chief 418-0254

 Consumer Publications 

 Branch 

 Visit us on the Web 

 www.fcc.gov/cgb

 CONTACT US 

 

 Telephone: 

 

 1-888-CALL-FCC 

 (1-888-225-5322) voice 

 1-888-TELL-FCC 

 (1-888-835-5322) TTY 

 E-mail:

 FCCInfo@fcc.gov 

 

 

 Federal 

 Communications 

 Commission 

 Consumer & 

 Governmental Affairs Bureau

 

 445 12th Street, SW 

 Washington, DC 20554