NEWS
Federal Communications Commission
445 12th Street, S.W.
Washington, D. C.  20554
This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action.  Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action.
See MCI v. FCC. 515 F 2d 385 (D.C. Circ 1974).
News Media Information 202 / 418-0500
Internet: http://www.fcc.gov
TTY: 1-888-835-5322
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: NEWS MEDIA CONTACT:
May 30, 2012 Neil Grace, 202-418-0506
Email: neil.grace@fcc.gov  
RICK KAPLAN, FCC WIRELESS TELECOMMUNICATIONS BUREAU CHIEF, 
TO STEP DOWN; RUTH MILKMAN TO RETURN AS BUREAU CHIEF
(Washington, D.C.) – Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski today 
announced that Rick Kaplan will step down as Chief of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau and 
that Ruth Milkman, currently Special Counsel to the Chairman for Innovation in Government, will 
succeed Mr. Kaplan as Bureau Chief. The change will be effective mid-June. 
“For the past three years, Rick Kaplan has been critical in helping us navigate some of the most 
challenging, complex, and important initiatives at the agency – starting with the DTV transition to all 
things wireless to complex merger and acquisition reviews. As my Chief Counsel and then Chief of the 
Wireless Bureau, Rick worked tirelessly to develop sound policy and to unleash innovation, economic 
growth, and broad opportunity. Rick used all of his considerable skills – from his deep knowledge of the 
issues, to his strong strategic vision, and even a terrific sense of humor. We will miss his leadership at the 
agency.”
He continued, “We are so lucky that Ruth Milkman will succeed Rick. Ruth preceded Rick as Wireless 
Bureau Chief, taking on that role after years of extensive experience and major accomplishment inside 
and outside the FCC. Ruth has been a tremendous success at everything she has done, and we are 
fortunate that she will be taking the helm of the Wireless Bureau at a time of such enormous change and 
opportunity.”
Ms. Milkman returns to the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau after serving for the past year as 
Special Counsel to the Chairman for Innovation in Government, where she led a team to develop 
proposals for procedural, regulatory and statutory changes to further innovation. As Chief of the Wireless 
Telecommunications Bureau, Ms. Milkman will continue her engagement in the implementation of 
incentive auctions. Gary Epstein will continue to lead the Commission’s Incentive Auction Task Force.
Bios
Rick Kaplan: Since joining the Commission in 2009, Mr. Kaplan has served in leadership roles 
throughout the agency, including as Bureau Chief, Chief Counsel to the Chairman, and Chief of Staff to 
Commissioner Mignon Clyburn.  As Bureau Chief, Mr. Kaplan was responsible for executing the 
Chairman’s mobile agenda, working to free-up spectrum for mobile broadband, reduce unnecessary 
barriers to innovation and investment in mobile, encourage maximum spectrum efficiency, and protect 
competition.  He also played a significant role in the agency’s implementation of Congress’s landmark 
legislation to open up access to advanced communications services for Americans with disabilities.
Mr. Kaplan helped lead the agency’s review of major transactions including Comcast/NBCU, AT&T/T-
Mobile, AT&T/Qualcomm, DISH/DBSD & TerreStar, and most recently, Verizon Wireless’s agreement 
to purchase spectrum from SpectrumCo. and Cox.
As Chief Counsel, Mr. Kaplan managed the Commission’s overall policy agenda, and was responsible for 
policy coordination among the Bureaus and Offices. During that time, Mr. Kaplan worked with Congress 
to encourage the passage of the groundbreaking incentive auction legislation, negotiated a resolution to 
the nearly decade-old TV white spaces proceeding, brought to decision rules requiring wireless carriers to 
offer data roaming on commercially reasonable terms, and helped navigate a shift in the retransmission 
consent marketplace. 
Before joining the Commission, Mr. Kaplan practiced regulatory law and appellate litigation at Sidley 
Austin LLP, and served in the Office of the General Counsel at the U.S. House of Representatives.  Mr. 
Kaplan began his legal career as a law clerk for Judge Harry T. Edwards of the U.S. Court of Appeals for 
the D.C. Circuit.  Prior to his legal career, Mr. Kaplan founded and operated a sports management and 
public relations agency that represented and served professional athletes and sports-related organizations.  
Kaplan earned his Juris Doctor from Columbia Law School and his undergraduate degree from Wesleyan 
University.
Ruth Milkman: Ms. Milkman served as Chief of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau from August 
2009 to June 2011, and occupied various roles at the Commission between 1986 and 1998, including 
Deputy Chief of the International and Common Carrier Bureaus, and Senior Legal Advisor to Chairman 
Reed Hundt. She also was a founding partner of Lawler, Metzger, Milkman & Keeney, LLC, and served 
as law clerk to the Honorable J. Harvie Wilkinson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.  
She received her B.A. from Harvard University and her J.D. from the University of Michigan Law 
School.  
-FCC-
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