Former Bates White Partner Dr. Donald Stockdale has been appointed Chief of the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, where he will oversee the bureau’s efforts to maintain fair licensing for wireless services, oversee competitive bidding for spectrum auctions, and manage the broadcast tower registration process.
Dr. Stockdale, who began his new position at the FCC on June 19, previously spent 17 years at the Commission from 1994 to 2011, where he held numerous positions, culminating in his appointment as Deputy Chief and Chief Economist of the Wireline Competition Bureau. He joined Bates White in 2013 as a partner in the Antitrust and Competition and the Communications and Media Practices after serving as a partner at Mayer Brown LLP, where he represented clients in antitrust and telecommunications regulatory matters.
“Don’s unique skills and experience will help ensure that the FCC’s approach benefits consumers by fostering wireless growth, competition, and innovation. I’m proud that we are adding another talented member to our great wireless leadership team,” FCC Chair Ajit Pai said in a statement.
George Rozanski, co-chair of Bates White’s Antitrust and Competition Practice, said in a statement to Global Competition Review on June 16, “Bates White looked to Don to develop and extend our work in the telecom sector, both by delivering work himself and supporting several academic partners, especially Joseph Farrell and Leslie Marx. Don was successful at this, and we will miss his help, as well as the contributions he made to a wider range of competition matters.
“But our loss is the FCC's and the public's gain. We know Don will work to develop and guide sound public policy choices in his new area of responsibility. We wish him continued success in his new position.”
Dr. Stockdale is active in both the American Bar Association’s Antitrust Section, where he is the co-chair of the Economics Committee, and the Federal Communications Bar Association, where he is a co-chair of the International Telecommunications Committee. Earlier in his career, he was an attorney at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, where he specialized in US and European antitrust law. Following that, he was an Assistant Professor at the Robert H. Smith School of Business of the University of Maryland, where he taught Business and Public Policy and Advanced Business Law.
Dr. Stockdale received a JD and a PhD in Economics from Yale University, and BA degrees from King’s College, Cambridge University, and Yale.
