VIENNA, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Shared Spectrum Company (SSC) today announced that Robert M. McDowell, a former commissioner and senior member of the Federal Communications Commission, has joined the company’s board of directors.

“We are honored to welcome Rob to Shared Spectrum’s board of directors,” said Dr. Mark McHenry, SSC’s founder and president. “With his leadership at the FCC, vast experience in the policy arena and deep knowledge of the wireless market, Rob will provide valuable guidance as the company seeks to accelerate adoption of its Dynamic Spectrum Access technology and develop new commercial opportunities.”

McDowell is currently a partner and co-leader of Cooley LLP’s global communications practice, where he provides strategic legal, business, and public policy advice to clients on domestic and international matters in the telecommunications, media, technology, and digital media industries. He also serves as senior advisor at Berenson & Co. and senior fellow at the Hudson Institute’s Center for the Economics of the Internet.

McDowell was appointed to the FCC by Presidents George W. Bush (2006) and Barack Obama (2009), and was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate each time. During his seven years as an FCC Commissioner, McDowell spearheaded policies that addressed all aspects of the Internet, wireless technologies, broadband competition, and communications equipment and devices, as well as radio and satellite services. Prior to the FCC, he had nearly 20 years of private sector experience in the communications industry, working at trade associations Compel (now INCOMPAS) and America’s Carriers Telecommunications Association (ACTA), and law firms Helein & Associates PC and Arter & Hadden.

McDowell joins four others on the SSC board:

• Michael A. Daniels – Former chairman of Network Solutions (1995-2000), former chairman and CEO of Mobile365 (2005-2006) and former chairman of the Northern Virginia Technology Council.
• Mark A. Frantz – Co-founder of BlueDelta Capital Partners, a growth capital firm focused on the U.S. federal government technology marketplace. Frantz currently serves on the board of directors/advisory board for numerous privately held growth companies and non-profit organizations.
• Mark A. McHenry – Founder and president of Shared Spectrum Company, who previously was a program manager for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and senior research engineer at SRI International. McHenry also served on the U.S. Department of Commerce Spectrum Advisory Committee and as a co-founder of the San Diego Research Center Inc.
• William J. Merritt – President, CEO and member of the board of directors of InterDigital, which designs and develops advanced technologies that enable and enhance mobile communications and capabilities.

About Shared Spectrum Company

Founded in 2000, SSC is a leading developer of spectrum intelligence technologies. Based in Vienna, Va., the company has developed innovative cognitive radio technologies for wireless applications in a broad range of the frequency bands. Additional information is available at www.sharedspectrum.com.