Reed Hundt

Reed Hundt
Name	Reed Hundt
Birth date	August 24, 1948
Birth place	Chattanooga, Tennessee, U.S.
Occupation	Lawyer, public official, executive, author
Office	29th Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission
President	Bill Clinton
Term start	1993
Term end	1997
Predecessor	James H. Quello (Acting)
Successor	William Kennard

Reed Hundt Reed Hundt (born August 24, 1948) is an American attorney, executive, and author who served as Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission from 1993 to 1997. He has held leadership roles in private equity, telecommunications, energy, and finance, and has written on technology, infrastructure, public policy, and investment. Hundt's career spans service in the Clinton administration, partnerships with law firms, and board roles at major corporations and nonprofits.

Early life and education

Hundt was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee and raised in a family with ties to Tennessee civic life. He attended Yale University, where he studied alongside contemporaries involved in U.S. politics and public policy, and later earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Chicago Law School. During his formative years he was influenced by scholars and practitioners associated with law schools and public interest organizations, and he participated in legal clinics that connected to national issues addressed by institutions such as the American Civil Liberties Union and Legal Services Corporation.

Legal and business career

After law school Hundt clerked and joined prominent firms and firms connected to litigation and transactional practice in Washington, D.C. and Chicago. He served as an associate at established firms and then co-founded practices that advised clients in telecommunications and antitrust matters, interacting with regulatory bodies including the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission. Hundt also worked with investment firms and venture capital groups that invested in technology companies linked to markets overseen by the Securities and Exchange Commission and listed on exchanges such as the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ. His legal career brought him into contact with leaders from organizations including AT&T, MCI, Bell Atlantic, Verizon Communications, Sprint Corporation, Telecommunications Industry Association, and multinational firms active across Europe and Asia.

Federal Communications Commission chairmanship

Appointed by President Bill Clinton and confirmed by the United States Senate, Hundt chaired the Federal Communications Commission during a period of intense change in the telecommunications industry. He led the agency through implementation of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, coordinating rulemakings that affected competitors such as BellSouth, Qwest Communications, Cablevision, and Comcast. Under his chairmanship the FCC addressed issues related to spectrum allocation involving the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, digital television transitions tied to broadcasters including CBS, NBC, ABC, and Fox Broadcasting Company, and competition disputes implicating Microsoft, Intel, and cable operators. Hundt presided over initiatives on universal service and access that intersected with programs from the Department of Commerce and philanthropic efforts by foundations such as the Ford Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation. His tenure involved testimony before committees of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate, interactions with commissioners from the European Commission and regulators from Japan and Canada, and collaboration with industry groups including the Internet Society and the World Bank on global connectivity projects.

Post-FCC career and corporate roles

After leaving the FCC Hundt entered investment and executive roles, co-founding firms in private equity and infrastructure finance that invested in companies in sectors overlapping with firms like General Electric, Siemens, Exelon, and Chevron. He served on corporate and nonprofit boards including media and technology companies associated with News Corporation, Time Warner, Bloomberg L.P., and nonprofit entities allied with Harvard University, Yale University, and the Brookings Institution. Hundt worked with international investors and sovereign funds from regions such as Europe and Asia and advised startups tied to venture ecosystems in Silicon Valley and Boston. He has been involved in efforts to develop broadband deployment financed through instruments used by the World Bank and regional development banks like the Inter-American Development Bank.

Publications and writings

Hundt is the author of books and articles addressing technology policy, investment strategy, and infrastructure, publishing with presses that include university and commercial publishers connected to outlets such as the Harvard Kennedy School and the Brookings Institution. His writings have appeared in national publications including the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and Financial Times, and in specialized journals tied to Yale Law School, the University of Chicago Law Review, and the Columbia Journal of Law and Social Problems. Topics in his work include broadband policy, spectrum management, competition policy involving firms such as AT&T and Verizon Communications, and the role of capital markets represented by the New York Stock Exchange and the NASDAQ in financing infrastructure.

Personal life and honors

Hundt has been recognized by institutions with awards and honors from universities and professional societies including memberships or distinctions linked to Yale University, the University of Chicago, the National Academy of Public Administration, and industry associations such as the CTIA — The Wireless Association and the Internet Engineering Task Force. He has lectured at academic venues including Harvard University, Stanford University, Columbia University, and Georgetown University, and has participated in panels at forums like the World Economic Forum and the Aspen Institute. Hundt lives with his family and continues involvement in civic and philanthropic activities associated with organizations such as United Way and cultural institutions in Washington, D.C. and New York City.

Category:1948 births Category:Federal Communications Commission chairmen Category:American lawyers