Former FCC Chair Michael Powell, President and CEO, NCTA

Michael Powell

Michael K. Powell is the President and CEO of the National Cable & Telecommunications Association. NCTA is the policy trade association for the cable operator and cable programmer industries. Prior to joining NCTA, he served as a Senior Advisor with Providence Equity Partners and served on the boards of Cisco Systems, Aol and EDMC. Mr. Powell served as the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, from 2001 to 2005, having served as a Commissioner for several years prior.

Prior to his tenure at the FCC, Powell served as the Chief of Staff of the Antitrust Division in the Department of Justice where he advised the Assistant Attorney General on substantive antitrust matters, including policy development, criminal and civil investigations, and mergers. He also served as an associate in the Washington, D.C., office of the law firm of O’Melveny & Myers LLP and clerked for the Honorable Harry T. Edwards, Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

Before his legal career, Powell served as a policy advisor to the Secretary of Defense. His experience also includes military service as an armored cavalry officer in the United States Army, retiring after being seriously injured on duty.

Powell serves on a number of non-profit boards, including the Mayo Clinic, the Aspen Institute and America’s Promise, where he co-chairs Grad Nation—an effort to end the high school dropout crisis. Powell also has served as the Rector of the Board of Visitors of the College of William and Mary, and has taught, as an adjunct professor, at the Catholic University Law School.

Powell graduated from the College of William and Mary with a degree in Government and earned his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center. He is married and has two sons.