Telecom Symposium: Biography of Jane E. Lawton

Jane E. Lawton

Jane Lawton was appointed Cable Communications Chief for Montgomery County in February 1996. In this capacity, she direct the Division of Cable and Communications Services, Department of Technology Services, which has the responsibility to negotiate and administer cable, OVS, and other telecom franchises. She oversees an annual budget of over $15M which supports the County's cable and telecommunications activities, including eleven Public, Educational and Government (PEG) channels, an institutional network, consumer protection activities, and special technology projects. Ms. Lawton also serves as Chair of the Telecommunications Transmission Facilities Commission (Tower Committee), an interagency working group which recommends sites for wireless facilities in the County. The Tower Committee has approved over 1100 wireless facilities since its creation, with an average approval time of 22 days.

Ms. Lawton previously served as President of the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA). Prior to serving as President, she served on the Board of Directors and headed the 1998 Conference Sponsorship Committee, the 1997 Conference Committee and served as Chapter Liaison in 1996-1997. She monitors cable and telecom issues which come before the Federal Communications Commission, other federal agencies and the Congress. Prior to Ms. Lawton's appointment as Cable Chief in Montgomery County, she served as a Special Assistant to the County Executive for Montgomery County.

Ms. Lawton is currently in her second term in the Maryland General Assembly, representing District 18 in the House of Delegates, serving on the Environmental Matters Committee. She chairs the Green Building Task Force and is on the Joint Committee on Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Critical Areas. Delegate Lawton formerly served four terms as Mayor in the Town of Chevy Chase, Maryland, where she was on the Council for thirteen years. She was active on the Maryland Municipal League's State Legislative Committee and chaired numerous citizen boards and commissions. She has an extensive knowledge of the workings of local government, particularly local land use and zoning law and, County and municipal regulatory authority.

Prior to her public service in county and local government, Ms. Lawton was a Special Assistant to the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives for eight years, and before that, she was a System Engineer for the IBM Corporation.

Ms. Lawton is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Oklahoma with a degree in Government, History and Economics. She has two daughters and resides in Chevy Chase, Maryland.

Note: The Department of Justice regrets to state that Delegate Lawton passed away shortly after delivering her presentation at the Telecommunications Symposium on November 29, 2007.