Clay T. Whitehead
Encyclopedia
Clay T. "Tom" Whitehead was a United States
government official who served as director of the White House Office of Telecommunications Policy
from 1970 to 1974, during the Nixon administration. He pioneered a policy of competition in the telecommunications industries, which later was reflected in legislation and regulations in the United States and around the world.
. He attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology
, earning his undergraduate and master's degrees in electrical engineering
, and a Ph.D.
in management in 1967.
Before joining the Nixon campaign in 1968 as an expert on budget policies, Whitehead was a RAND
Corporation economist.
The policy enabled cable television networks like C-SPAN
, CNN
, and HBO to prosper and created a ripple effect that ultimately led to sweeping and lasting changes in the telecommunications landscape.
In 1970, Whitehead helped create the White House Office of Telecommunications Policy
(OTP), which he was then asked to lead.
One of OTP’s accomplishments included ending the regulatory freeze on the infant cable industry, which then permitted it to compete with television broadcasting and, eventually, the established telephone industry.
Whitehead’s policies also impacted broadcasting directly. “He was credited with formulating policies that gave more autonomy to local stations in the public broadcasting system, which was seen by some PBS executives as an attack on the service in large part because of Dr. Whitehead's early reputation for antagonizing the press.”
In a noted 1972 speech, Whitehead used the terms "elitist gossip" and "ideological plugola" to echo the Nixon administration's claims of liberal bias in network news. Walter Cronkite
claims in his memoir that Whitehead suggested to affiliate stations that they need not carry network news reports such as Cronkite's, and instead could rely on wire dispatches.
In 1974, Whitehead was one of five men to secretly plan Vice President Gerald Ford's transition to the Presidency before Nixon’s resignation.
and started the Hughes Communications subsidiary that launched the Galaxy
satellite system, one of the first geostationary satellites. The Galaxy business became the model for satellite television distribution and broadcasting around the world.
, it replaced government-run television and grew tremendously to become one of the continent’s most profitable satellite systems and, according to Wikipedia, the largest fixed satellite operator in the world.
School of Law.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
government official who served as director of the White House Office of Telecommunications Policy
Office of Telecommunications Policy
After President Nixon took office in 1969, Clay T. Whitehead, Special Assistant to the President, pushed to establish an executive office dedicated to telecommunications policy. The White House Office of Telecommunications Policy was established in 1970...
from 1970 to 1974, during the Nixon administration. He pioneered a policy of competition in the telecommunications industries, which later was reflected in legislation and regulations in the United States and around the world.
Life and career
Whitehead was born in Neodesha, KansasNeodesha, Kansas
Neodesha is a city in Wilson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 2,486. The name is derived from the Osage Indian word, Ni-o-sho-de, and is translated as The-Water-Is-Smoky-With-Mud.-19th century:...
. He attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
, earning his undergraduate and master's degrees in electrical engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
, and a Ph.D.
Doctor of Science
Doctor of Science , usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D. or Dr.Sc., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries Doctor of Science is the name used for the standard doctorate in the sciences, elsewhere the Sc.D...
in management in 1967.
Before joining the Nixon campaign in 1968 as an expert on budget policies, Whitehead was a RAND
RAND
RAND Corporation is a nonprofit global policy think tank first formed to offer research and analysis to the United States armed forces by Douglas Aircraft Company. It is currently financed by the U.S. government and private endowment, corporations including the healthcare industry, universities...
Corporation economist.
Nixon administration
Between 1969 and 1970, Whitehead served as Special Assistant to President Richard Nixon. In this capacity, he crafted an “Open Skies” domestic satellite policy that allowed any qualified private company to launch communications satellites, thereby rejecting the monopoly model for the technology.The policy enabled cable television networks like C-SPAN
C-SPAN
C-SPAN , an acronym for Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network, is an American cable television network that offers coverage of federal government proceedings and other public affairs programming via its three television channels , one radio station and a group of websites that provide streaming...
, CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, and HBO to prosper and created a ripple effect that ultimately led to sweeping and lasting changes in the telecommunications landscape.
In 1970, Whitehead helped create the White House Office of Telecommunications Policy
Office of Telecommunications Policy
After President Nixon took office in 1969, Clay T. Whitehead, Special Assistant to the President, pushed to establish an executive office dedicated to telecommunications policy. The White House Office of Telecommunications Policy was established in 1970...
(OTP), which he was then asked to lead.
One of OTP’s accomplishments included ending the regulatory freeze on the infant cable industry, which then permitted it to compete with television broadcasting and, eventually, the established telephone industry.
Whitehead’s policies also impacted broadcasting directly. “He was credited with formulating policies that gave more autonomy to local stations in the public broadcasting system, which was seen by some PBS executives as an attack on the service in large part because of Dr. Whitehead's early reputation for antagonizing the press.”
In a noted 1972 speech, Whitehead used the terms "elitist gossip" and "ideological plugola" to echo the Nixon administration's claims of liberal bias in network news. Walter Cronkite
Walter Cronkite
Walter Leland Cronkite, Jr. was an American broadcast journalist, best known as anchorman for the CBS Evening News for 19 years . During the heyday of CBS News in the 1960s and 1970s, he was often cited as "the most trusted man in America" after being so named in an opinion poll...
claims in his memoir that Whitehead suggested to affiliate stations that they need not carry network news reports such as Cronkite's, and instead could rely on wire dispatches.
In 1974, Whitehead was one of five men to secretly plan Vice President Gerald Ford's transition to the Presidency before Nixon’s resignation.
Hughes Communications
After his career at OTP, Whitehead joined Hughes AircraftHughes Aircraft
Hughes Aircraft Company was a major American aerospace and defense contractor founded in 1932 by Howard Hughes in Culver City, California as a division of Hughes Tool Company...
and started the Hughes Communications subsidiary that launched the Galaxy
Galaxy (satellite)
The Galaxy series is a family of communications satellites originally developed and operated by Hughes Communications, now owned and operated by Intelsat. Galaxy is one of the first geostationary satellites...
satellite system, one of the first geostationary satellites. The Galaxy business became the model for satellite television distribution and broadcasting around the world.
SES Astra
Whitehead left Hughes in 1983 and founded the first private satellite business in Europe. Now known as SES AstraSES Astra
Astra is the name for the geostationary communication satellites, both individually and as a group, which are owned and operated by SES S.A., a global satellite operator based in Betzdorf, in eastern Luxembourg. The name is sometimes also used to describe the channels broadcasting from these...
, it replaced government-run television and grew tremendously to become one of the continent’s most profitable satellite systems and, according to Wikipedia, the largest fixed satellite operator in the world.
George Mason University School of Law
In 2005, Whitehead was a Distinguished Visiting Professor of Communications Policy at George Mason UniversityGeorge Mason University
George Mason University is a public university based in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, south of and adjacent to the city of Fairfax. Additional campuses are located nearby in Arlington County, Prince William County, and Loudoun County...
School of Law.
External links
- Clay T. Whitehead via Society of Satellite Professionals International Hall of Fame