Richard E. Wiley Honored with Inaugural Award for Excellence

Washington, DC – Richard E. Wiley, Managing Partner and Chair of Wiley Rein & Fielding’s renowned Communications Practice, is the recipient of the inaugural Chambers Award for Excellence in the area of telecommunications regulatory work.  The award was presented last night at a ceremony in New York that recognized the outstanding achievements of lawyers in the USA.  Nominees included more than 100 prominent attorneys in almost two-dozen legal disciplines.

Mr. Wiley, widely regarded as the nation’s preeminent telecommunications lawyer and the proverbial “man to see” on communications issues, has consistently been singled out by London-based Chambers and Partners as a “Star Performer” in its rankings of leading lawyers in the United States.  The 2006 edition notes that he is “the king of the DC communications Bar” and a “lion in the field.”  The directory also has recognized that he “helped to invent modern telecom law.”

Frequently called the “most prominent telecommunications lawyer and lobbyist in Washington,” Mr. Wiley has often been honored for his extensive contributions to the communications industry, a legacy that includes changing what Americans are watching on television and the way in which we’re watching it.  This most notable achievement stems from Mr. Wiley's role as chairman of the FCC Advisory Committee on HDTV, where he adeptly built industry consensus that resulted in the nation's standard for digital television.  For his contribution to the next generation of television viewers, Mr. Wiley received an Emmy from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and has been dubbed the “Father of HDTV.”