Richard E. Wiley (born July 20, 1934) is an American attorney and former government official. He served as chairman of the

Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisd ...

(FCC) from March 8, 1974 to October 12, 1977. A member of the Republican Party, he supported increased competition and lower regulations in the communications sector. Wiley played a pivotal role in the development of

HDTV High-definition television (HD or HDTV) describes a television system which provides a substantially higher image resolution than the previous generation of technologies. The term has been used since 1936; in more recent times, it refers to the ...

in the United States, serving from 1987 to 1995 as chairman of the FCC's Advisory Committee on Advanced Television Service.

Early life and education

Wiley was born on July 20, 1934 in

Peoria, Illinois Peoria ( ) is the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, United States, and the largest city on the Illinois River. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 113,150. It is the principal city of the Peoria Metropolitan Area in Centr ...

. Wiley graduated with distinction from

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Chart ...

, where he earned BS and JD degrees. He also holds a master's degree in Law from

Georgetown University Law Center The Georgetown University Law Center (Georgetown Law) is the law school of Georgetown University, a private research university in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1870 and is the largest law school in the United States by enrollment a ...

and an honorary Doctor of Laws from

The Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by U. ...

Career

He has served as chairman/president of The Media Institute, the Center for Telecommunication and Information at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manha ...

and the Federal Bar and Federal Communication Bar Associations. In 1983, Wiley founded the Washington, D.C. law firm

Wiley Rein LLP Wiley Rein LLP (known as Wiley) is one of the largest law firms in Washington, D.C., United States. With 240 lawyers, the firm represents clients in complex regulatory, litigation, and transactional matters. Many of the firm's lawyers and public ...

, home to more than 275 lawyers practicing in almost two-dozen areas of law includin
communicationsgovernment contractsinsuranceinternational tradepublic policy
an
litigation
Wiley, the firm's managing partner, leads its preeminent 80-attorney communications practice.

Recognition

Wiley has often been profiled by the media and recognized for his expertise and contributions to the communications industry. He has been called the "Father of High-Definition television" (''The Globe and Mail''), the "most influential media and telecommunications lawyer in the United States" (the ''International Herald Tribune'') and one of the top "100 Men of the Century" (''Broadcasting & Cable''). Wiley is the recipient of numerous awards, including an Emmy from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the Electronic Industries’ Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service Award from the National Association of Broadcasters, the North American Broadcasters Association's International Achievement Award, an Award of Special Recognition from the Radio and Television News Directors Foundation, the Digital Pioneer's Award, Leading Communications Lawyer by ''

Legal Times ALM (formerly American Lawyer Media) is a media company headquartered in the Socony–Mobil Building in New York City, and is a provider of specialized business news and information, focused primarily on the legal, insurance, and commercial re ...

'' of Washington, DC and the ''Chambers USA'' Award for Excellence in the area of telecommunications regulatory work.

References

External links

Richard E. Wiley
* 1934 births American law firm executives Chairmen of the Federal Communications Commission Georgetown University Law Center alumni Living people Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law alumni Nixon administration personnel Ford administration personnel Carter administration personnel {{US-law-bio-stub