Copps, Michael (b. 1940)
Copps graduated from Wofford in 1963 and received a Ph.D. in American history at UNC-Chapel Hill in 1967. He was a commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission, 2001 to 2011, and served as Acting FCC Chairman for six months in 2009.
This 1996 interview focuses on Copps' role on the staff of Senator Ernest F. Hollings. Copps reflects on Hollings' work habits and character, provides astute descriptions of the inner workings of the Hollings Office, and comments on Hollings' impact on the debate over the SALT treaties, the Carter administration's passage of the Panama Canal treaties, and Hollings' 1984 Presidential campaign and decision to shift from the Budget Committee to Commerce.