Tyrone Brown (lawyer)

Tyrone Brown (born November 5, 1942) is a former Federal Communications Commission Commissioner who is currently a consulting counsel at Wiley Rein LLP.

Tyrone Brown
Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission
In office November 15, 1977 - January 31, 1981
President	Jimmy Carter Ronald Reagan
Personal details
Born	November 5, 1942 Norfolk, Virginia, U.S.
Citizenship	American
Political party	Democratic
Education	Hamilton College Cornell Law School

Biography

A native of Norfolk, Virginia, Brown grew up in East Orange, New Jersey and graduated from East Orange High School in 1960.[1] He received an A.B. from Hamilton College.[2] In 1967, he graduated with a LL.B. with distinction from Cornell Law School, where he was Managing Editor of the Cornell Law Review.[3] After graduation, he served as a law clerk for Chief Justice Earl Warren of the Supreme Court of the United States during the 1967-1968 Term.[4][5]

In 1968, Brown joined Covington & Burling's Washington D.C. office. From 1970, he held a series of federal government appointments and staff positions at the United States Senate, and then several corporate posts in publishing. From 1974 to 1977, he was an attorney at Caplin & Drysdale in Washington, D.C.

In 1977, President Jimmy Carter appointed Brown to the Federal Communications Commission, succeeding Benjamin Hooks.[6][7] Initially, Brown declined the offer for the 21 months left on the term over concern on reappointment.[8] Hamilton Jordan, an aide to Carter, persuaded Brown to accept.[7] After approval by the Senate, Brown began his term on November 15, 1977, while continuing his participation in civil rights advocacy.[9][10] One of his goals as commissioner was to increase minority ownership of broadcasting stations.[11] In 1978, he opposed dropping "public interest" from the FCC's consideration for broadcast licenses.[12] On June 11, 1979, Carter nominated Brown for reappointment to the FCC for a seven-year term and he was confirmed.[13] On January 31, 1981, Brown resigned from the Commission following the election of President Ronald Reagan, and was replaced by Mark S. Fowler.[14][15][16][17] Later, Brown practiced law at Steptoe & Johnson and at Wiley Rein, as well as serving as president of the Media Access Project from 2010 to 2013.[18][19][20]

See also

• List of law clerks of the Supreme Court of the United States

References

1. Flannery, Gerald V. (1995). Commissioners of the FCC, 1927-1994. University Press of America. p. 181. ISBN 081919669X. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
2. Memmott, Jim. "1964 Class Annalists Letter". Hamilton College. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
3. "Journal Staff-Managing Editor, Tyrone Brown". Cornell L. Rev. 52 (2): 300. 1967. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
4. Peppers, Todd C. (2006). Courtiers of the Marble Palace: The Rise and Influence of the Supreme Court Law Clerk. Palo Alto, CA: Stanford University Press. p. 241, fn 13. ISBN 0804753822. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
5. Booker, Simeon (August 17, 1967). "Tape USA-Tyrone Brown". Jet Magazine. Johnson Publishing. XXXII (19): 13. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
6. "Jimmy Carter-Federal Communications Commission Nomination of Tyrone Brown To Be a Member". American Presidency Project. University of California, Santa Barbara. June 11, 1979. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
7. Brown Takes Over Hooks' FCC Seat. Black Enterprise Magazine. January 1978. p. 12. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
8. "FCC Replaces Hooks with a Black-Atty Tyrone Brown". Jet Magazine. Johnson Publishing. 53 (3): 5. October 6, 1977. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
9. Zarkin, Kimberly; Zarkin, Michael J. (2006). The Federal Communications Commission: Front Line in the Culture and Regulation Wars. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 162. ISBN 0313334161. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
10. Whitaker, Joseph D. (December 19, 1977). "Lawyers' Group Here Works for Civil Rights in South Africa". Washington Post. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
11. Brown Becomes Visible as Newest FCC Member. Jet Magazine-Johnson Publishing Company. March 16, 1978. p. 19. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
12. Shifrin, Carole (July 19, 1978). "FCC Members Oppose Executive Branch Unit". Washington Post. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
13. Carter, Jimmy (June 11, 1979). Federal Communications Commission-Nomination of Tyrone Brown to be a Member, in Public Papers of the President, Jimmy Carter. ISBN 1623767725. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
14. Holsendolph, Ernest (January 9, 1981). "Brown, F.C.C. Democrat, to Resign From Agency". New York Times. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
15. Hodge, Paul (February 12, 1981). "FCC to Move Headquarters to Rosslyn". Washington Post. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
16. Earl g. Graves, Ltd (April 1981). "Brown Resigns". Black Enterprise Magazine. 11 (9): 15–16. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
17. "President Reagan Friday nominated Washington lawyer Mark S. Fowler". UPI.com. United Press International. March 13, 1981. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
18. "Tyrone Brown to Leave Wiley Rein for Media Access Project". The Blog of LegalTimes. March 24, 2010. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
19. Kang, Cecilia (March 25, 2010). "Media Access Project CEO Brown asks FCC about price competition". Washington Post. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
20. Castillo, Michelle (December 21, 2010). "FCC Passes Ruling To Protect Net Neutrality". Time Magazine. Retrieved August 9, 2018.

External links

• Appearances on C-SPAN
• The HistoryMakers video oral history with Tyrone Brown (2016).
• Interview of Tyrone Brown (15:52 mins), Cornell Law School, April 14, 1988.