Newton Minow, who chaired the FCC from 1961 to 1963, died Saturday at his Chicago home, the Sidley law firm announced. He was 97. The firm didn’t provide a cause of death. As chairman he famously criticized TV as a “vast wasteland” in a speech to the NAB. However, in recent years he reportedly had a TV in every room in his house. During his leadership, the FCC mandated UHF reception in all televisions sold in the U.S. Minow also had a hand in developing legislation leading to the use of satellites for broadcast. He sat on the board of the National Educational Television and its successor, PBS, where he helped get funding to launch Sesame Street. Minow was with Sidley for 50 years, including as managing partner and as senior counsel. President Barack Obama in 2016 awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Survivors include three daughters, Nell, Martha and Mary.
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Public safety and wireless industry consultant Andrew Seybold, 77, died May 2. He had been in ill health, but no cause of death was reported. He co-founded and served as a board member of the Personal Computing and Communications Association (PCCA), and his work included Outlook for Mobile Computing and Andrew Seybold/Forbes Wireless Outlook newsletters and Commentary and Public Safety Advocate e-newsletters. Before becoming a consultant, Seybold worked for BioCom, General Electric and RCA. The names of survivors weren't immediately available.