Former Rep. Tom Bliley, R-Va., 91, who as House Commerce Committee chairman was credited with being instrumental in the creation of the 1996 Telecom Act, died Thursday. Before his election to Congress in 1980, Bliley was mayor of Richmond from 1970 to 1977. Bliley retired from politics in 2001, eventually joining Steptoe & Johnson as a senior adviser for government affairs. “Many of his legislative accomplishments still stand today, including in the telecommunications, food safety, and technology sectors,” Commerce Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., said in a statement, pointing to the Telecom Act and Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, which she said “served to knock down competitive barriers and reduce costs to Americans and established data privacy protections for them at the same time.” Survivors include his wife, Mary, and his daughter, Mary Vaughn Bliley Utter. Visitation will be held Monday at Bliley's-Central, 3801 Augusta Ave., Richmond, with a funeral Mass Tuesday at Saint Bridget Catholic Church, 6006 Three Chopt Road, Richmond.
Craig Bomberger, 55, FCC acting Auctions Division chief, died Oct. 8 of undisclosed causes. Bomberger worked at the agency for 24 years. He previously worked in the Wireless Bureau and in the Office of Economics and Analytics, according to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. Survivors include his wife, Melissa, and daughters, Ella and Zoe. Donations in his memory may be made to the Maui Strong Fund or The Nature Conservancy.
Gordon Moore, 95, Intel co-founder, died March 24 at his Hawaii home, announced the company and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. He was 95. Cause of death wasn’t disclosed. In 1965, Moore predicted the number of transistors on an integrated circuit would double every year, which became known as Moore’s Law. Three years after that prediction, he and colleague Robert Noyce established Intel. The two had worked under William Shockley, who co-invented the transistor and founded Shockley Semiconductor. Moore and Noyce later were among the co-founders of Fairchild Semiconductor. At Intel, Moore held various executive positions, including CEO, chairman and chairman emeritus. He stepped down as emeritus in 2006. He and his wife formed the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation in 2000. His survivors include his wife, Betty Irene Whitaker, two sons, Kenneth and Steven, and four grandchildren.
Mickey McGuire, 89, former BellSouth executive vice president, died Oct. 4 in Charlottesville, Virginia. He joined BellSouth from AT&T shortly after the divestiture in 1984. McGuire previously worked at the DOJ. He's survived by his wife, Bobbi, and daughter, Roberta. Memorial contributions may be made to: The Masonic Home, 330 Masonic Home Drive, Masonic Home, Kentucky, or to Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital, 500 Martha Jefferson Drive, Charlottesville. A private family service will be held Oct. 29.