WASHINGTON— FCC Chairman Ajit Pai today announced that the agency has chosen Sanford Williams to serve as director of the FCC’s Office of Communications Business Opportunity, continuing the work he has been doing as acting director.
“The FCC plays an important role in encouraging a communications industry in which small businesses, including minority- and women-owned businesses, thrive,” said Chairman Pai. “While it is not our place to dictate market outcomes, there are productive ways that this agency can connect people, foster competition, and establish policies that support a market that reflects America’s diversity. I’m pleased Sanford has agreed to continue to lead this work; I value his counsel in ensuring that these issues are included in our policy thinking.”
The Office of Communication Business Opportunities is tasked with promoting competition and innovation in telecommunications ownership and information services. The office also supports opportunities for small communications businesses, including minority- and women-owned businesses. It is principal advisor to the chairman and the commissioners on issues, rulemakings, and policies affecting these communications businesses. It also represents the agency in various matters coordinated with the U.S. Small Business Administration, including those involving the Regulatory Flexibility and Small Business Acts.
Williams has worked as an attorney in various roles at the Federal Communications Commission since 1999. He also worked as an attorney for Womble, Carlyle, Sandridge & Rice, and taught at Augusta State University in Augusta, Georgia. Mr. Williams attended Cornell University where he earned an undergraduate degree in operations research & industrial engineering and a Master’s in Business Administration from the Johnson School of Management. He earned his law degree from University of Virginia School of Law where he was a member of the Virginia Law Review.
