Bill Kennard has been driving policy and innovation for over 30 years at the highest echelons of government and industry. His public sector career began in 1993, when Bill served as the FCC’s General Counsel, helping establish the rules for the first FCC spectrum auctions.
In 1997, Bill was nominated by President Bill Clinton to serve as Chairman of the FCC and was the first African American to lead the agency. During his tenure as Chairman, Bill shaped FCC policies that created an explosion of new wireless services and devices, made hundreds of megahertz of wireless spectrum available for commercial use via spectrum auctions or leasing, brought the internet to many American households, and set policies which resulted in billions of dollars of investment in new broadband technologies. At the same time, he implemented new policies to bridge the digital divide in the U.S. and around the world. As a result, U.S. News and World Report dubbed Chairman Kennard “a consumer champion for the digital age.”
In 2009, Bill was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve as Ambassador to the European Union, a position he held until 2013. He was also Partner and Managing Director of The Carlyle Group, an asset management firm, where he led investments in the telecommunications and media sectors. Bill currently serves as a Co-Founding Partner of Astra Capital Management, a private equity firm.
Bill was elected Chairman of the Board of Directors of AT&T in 2020, where he has served as a Board Member since 2014. During his tenure as Chairman, Bill has led AT&T through a period of exceptional growth in its wireless network.
A graduate of Stanford University and Yale Law School, Bill received the Award of Merit in 2020 from Yale Law, the school’s highest honor. He has received many honors and awards for his accomplishments, including honorary degrees from Howard University, Gallaudet University and Long Island University. Bill received the Congressional Black Caucus Chair’s Award in 2000, the Transatlantic Business Award from the American Chamber of Commerce to the European Union in 2012, and the American Horizon Award from The Media Institute in 2021. He also serves on the boards of directors for Ford Motor Company and MetLife, Inc., and is a trustee of Yale University.
Inducted into the Wireless Hall of Fame 2024.