Telecom Policy Report calls
Rohde and McLean
“Best Lobbying Team in Washington”
for Universal Service
 

(Washington, DC - - October 7, 2003)  Gregory L. Rohde and Christopher McLean, the two principals at e-Copernicus, a DC-based government affairs and finance consulting firm, were described as key players in Washington regarding universal service in rural America.  The October 2003 issue of Telecom Policy Report listed the two as the best team regarding an issue they have been intimately involved with since the landmark Telecommunications Act of 1996.

e-Copernicus has been working with BellSouth and HITN (Hispanic Information & Telecommunication Network) on universal service issues.  Their experience and involvement with universal service, however, dates back many years.  While serving in the U.S. Senate, Rohde and McLean played major roles in the development of the 1996 Act, especially with respect to the Act’s universal service provisions. 

According to the Telecom Policy Report:

“Gregory Rohde, former administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and a former senior-level Senate staffer, he now serves as BellSouth’s main man on Capitol Hill.  With issues related to universal service currently on his radar screen, he has become a key player who is leading the charge for legislation that would widen the USF’s funding pool."

“Christopher McLean, Another one of BellSouth’s most effective voices on Capitol Hill, he is a former head of the USDA’s Rural Utilities Service, and as such, an expert on universal service.  Between Rohde and McLean, BellSouth may well have the best lobbying team in Washington when it comes to universal service in rural America.”

For more information, please contact Mike Kanger at 202.292.4600