Commissioner Copp’s wireless advisor, John Giusti, is about to leave FCC to serve as the Head of Spectrum for GSMA, a global trade association of mobile operators, in London, England. Comm. Copps announced yesterday that John will be replaced by Mark Stone:

“We are excited that Mark Stone will be joining our Team as John departs. I have had many opportunities to work with Mark over my years here, as he has performed myriad tasks for the FCC. I especially recall the advice and counsel he shared with me as I suddenly found myself Acting Chairman of the Commission in 2009. His knowledge of how the place runs and his mastery of how to get good things accomplished was, and remains, immensely helpful to me—and to the ongoing work of the Commission. He has an excellent grasp of how things here work—both policy and administrative—and he goes about his job with skill, good judgment and a most collegial and pleasant demeanor. I look very much forward to working with Mark in the months ahead and thank him for agreeing to undertake this assignment.”

Mark, who holds an undergraduate degree in Business Administration from James Madison University and a Juris Doctorate from George Mason University, started his public service in 1991 at the General Services Administration’s Office of Inspector General. He joined the Commission in 1994 as an auditor and staff attorney in the Accounting Safeguards Division of the Common Carrier Bureau. He then served as an attorney in the Enforcement Bureau’s Investigations and Hearings Division, focusing on common carrier matters such as merger conditions and Section 271 later moving on to become Deputy Chief of the Bureau's Telecommunications Consumers Division.

Mr. Stone most recently served as Legal Advisor to the Chief of the Enforcement Bureau on common carrier matters. He has also held posts in the Office of Managing Director and served as an advisor to former Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein and former Chairman Kevin Martin. In his current role as Deputy Chief of the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, Mark has been deeply involved in core consumer protection matters including bill shock, truth-in-billing and disability access.

* Wireless Advisors Meeting - the regular meetings between the commissioners’ wireless advisors and the FCC bureaus and offices involved in wireless policy where much of the decisions are worked out and reviewed.