On April 11, 2023, Julie Kearney '98 became the first Chief of the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) new Space Bureau. The FCC's Office of International Affairs and the Space Bureau became official upon publication in the Federal Register. With this transition, the International Bureau ceases to exist and becomes these two new offices. 

Kearney joined the Commission in February as Senior Counsel to help lead this transition. Prior to her FCC work, Kearney worked in the private sector for communications companies including Twilio, Loon (Alphabet), National Public Radio, MCI, the Consumer Technology Association, and in private legal practice. Kearney earned her law degree from The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law and a bachelor’s degree from Mount Holyoke College.

SPACENEWS
By: Jason Rainbow
Date: April 11, 2023
FCC launches space-focused bureau

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TAMPA, Fla. — The Federal Communications Commission established a standalone Space Bureau April 11 to be led by Julie Kearney, a law and policy veteran tasked with spearheading its efforts to modernize satellite regulations.

Before joining the FCC as a special counsel in February, Kearney spent decades at private legal practices and telecoms companies, including balloon-based venture Loon where she headed communications regulation and policy until internet giant Alphabet scrapped the project in 2021.

During a ceremony in Washington to officially launch the Space Bureau, Kearney said her first priority is “modernizing regulations to match our new realities,” including faster processing times in response to unprecedented demand for new satellites.
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