FCC's O'Rielly Names Legal Advisors

FCC Commissioner Michael O'Rielly has named Amy Bender and Erin McGrath as his legal advisors.

Both had been working in his office in an interim capacity as the new commissioner staffed up.

Bender will be legal advisor for wireline issues. She has been deputy chief in the Telecommunications Access Policy Division of the Wireline Competition Bureau. Bender was also detailed to the House Energy & Commerce Committee and before that was a legal advisor to FCC Chairman Kevin Martin.

McGrath will advise on wireless, public safety, and international issues. Most recently she was media legal advisor to O'Rielly's predecessor, Commissioner Robert McDowell, and before that was assistant division chief in the Wireless Bureau's mobility division.

“Ms. Bender and Ms. McGrath are talented attorneys and dedicated public servants with incredible expertise in their respective issue areas," O'Rielly said in a statement. "They played important roles in getting my office up and running, and I am thrilled and exceptionally grateful that they have agreed to join my office.”

O'Rielly named his first staffer last week, chief of staff Courtney Reinhard.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.