| Michael K. Powell,
Recipient of the Freedom of Speech Award
Michael K. Powell has been a Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission since November 1997. He quickly established himself as a vigorous and outspoken defender of the First Amendment, earning him The Media InstituteOs Freedom of Speech Award.
Among his duties, Mr. Powell is the FCCOs Defense Commissioner, responsible for overseeing all National Security Emergency Preparedness functions for the Commission. He is also the FCC representative to the PresidentOs Council on Year 2000 Conversion, established by President Clinton in 1998.
Mr. Powell previously served as the Chief of Staff of the Antitrust Division in the Department of Justice. Prior to that he was an associate in the Washington office of OOMelveny & Myers LLP, where he focused on telecommunications, antitrust, and employment law.
Mr. Powell served as a judicial clerk to the Hon. Harry T. Edwards, Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, after graduating from the Georgetown University Law Center in 1993. He currently is a member of the Law CenterOs Board of Visitors.
Before attending law school, Mr. Powell was a policy advisor to the Secretary of Defense from 1988 to 1990 on matters involving the security relationship between the United States and Japan. His experience also includes military service as a U.S. Army armor officer stationed in Amberg, Germany.
Mr. Powell graduated from the College of William and Mary in 1985 with a degree in Government.
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Decker Anstrom,
Recipient of the American Horizon Award
Cable industry leader Decker Anstrom is this yearOs recipient of the American Horizon Award, presented annually to recognize leadership in promoting the vitality and independence of American media and communications.
Mr. Anstrom joined The Weather Channel in August 1999 as its President and Chief Executive Officer, following a 12-year tenure with the National Cable Television Association. He served as President and CEO of NCTA from 1994 to 1999, acting as the industryOs chief public representative and lobbyist.
Mr. Anstrom joined NCTA in 1987 and was Executive Vice President before becoming President and CEO. During his term, Mr. Anstrom strengthened relations with policymakers in Congress and the FCC and led the cable industryOs efforts surrounding passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996.
Prior to joining NCTA, Mr. Anstrom was President of Public Strategies, a public policy consulting firm in Washington, D.C., where he directed public policy and economic analyses for investment banking and corporate clients.
From 1978 to 1981, Mr. Anstrom was Assistant Director of the White House Office of Presidential Personnel, handling presidential appointments to the Cabinet and other senior political posts. Prior to this position, he was a senior staff member in the Office of Management and Budget.
Mr. Anstrom is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn. He also attended the Woodrow Wilson Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University.
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Conrad Burns,
Special Guest
The Honorable Conrad Burns of Montana is Chairman of the Subcommittee on Communications of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. He is also Senate co-chairman of the Congressional Internet Caucus. He was elected MontanaOs 19th senator in 1988, and in 1994 became the first Republican in the history of Montana to be elected to a second term.
Senator Burns was a farm and ranch news reporter for a Billings television station before creating the Northern Ag Network in 1975 with four radio stations. By 1986, when he sold his interest in the network, it served 31 radio and six television stations in Montana and Wyoming.
Senator Burns was, at various other times in his career, an auctioneer, county commissioner, football referee, livestock fieldman, and U.S. Marine. Born in Missouri, he attended the College of Agriculture at the University of Missouri before enlisting in the Marine Corps.
In addition to the Commerce Committee, Senator BurnsOs committee assignments include Appropriations, Energy and Natural Resources, Small Business, and the Special Committee on Aging.
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