Rachelle B. Chong | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Commissioner of theFederal Communications Commission | |
| In office May 23, 1994 – November 3, 1997 | |
| President | Bill Clinton |
| Preceded by | Sherrie P. Marshall |
| Succeeded by | Michael Powell |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1959-06-22)June 22, 1959 (age 66) |
| Party | Republican |
| Education | University of California, Berkeley (B.A.) University of California, Hastings (J.D.) |
Rachelle B. Chong (born June 22, 1959) is an American attorney and former government official who served as a Commissioner of theFederal Communications Commission (FCC) from 1994 to 1997.[1] A member of theRepublican Party, Chong was the firstAsian-American to serve on the FCC.[2] Chong later served as a commissioner of theCalifornia Public Utilities Commission (PUC) from 2006 to 2009.[3][4]
Rachelle B. Chong was born on June 22, 1959, inStockton, California, where she was raised. Chong is the great-grandniece ofHong Yen Chang, an immigrant from modern-dayGuangdong,China who became the firstChinese-American attorney.[5][6] Chong attendedLincoln High School, where she edited the school newspaper.[7]
Chong attended theUniversity of California, Berkeley, where she received dual degrees in political science and journalism. Chong received herJ.D. degree from theUniversity of California, Hastings College of the Law.[2]
Chong was appointed in May 1994 by PresidentBill Clinton to serve on theFederal Communications Commission (FCC).[2] At the time of her appointment, Chong worked as an attorney atSan Francisco-based law firmGraham & James, where she specialized in telecommunications law.[8]
At age 35 years, Chong was the youngest member of the commission at the time of her appointment.[9] As a member of the FCC, Chong voted against an inquiry into the impact ofliquor advertising on children.[10] Chong argued that if the agency investigated the impact of liquor ads, the FCC would arguably have "an obligation to also investigate car advertising that features air bags and sugared cereal advertising" as well.[11]
In 1997, it was reported that Chong was unlikely to be appointed to a second term in office. According toVariety, amid uncertainty about whether she would be re-appointed to the FCC, Chong "took the unusual step of publicly campaigning for reappointment". The effort was reportedly controversial among organizations such as the conservativeNational Taxpayers Union (NTU), who wrote to Chong that they were "deeply disturbed by reports… that you are asking industry groups to support your nomination".[12] Chong was ultimately not selected for renomination, and was replaced on the FCC by fellow RepublicanMichael Powell.[13]
From 2006 to 2009, Chong was appointed by GovernorArnold Schwarzenegger to theCalifornia Public Utilities Commission (PUC).[3] As a member of the PUC, Chong was credited with helping to deregulate mostlandline services operating in California, a measure supported byAT&T andVerizon.[14] In this capacity, she would return to the FCC in 2008 as a member of the agency's Federal-State Joint Conference on Advanced Services, alongside five other state utilities officials.[15]
TheEast Bay Times described Chong as "the California Public Utilities Commission member consumer advocates love to hate",[7] and advocacy groups including theConsumer Federation of California mobilized in opposition to her confirmation.[16] In 2009, theCalifornia State Senate blocked Chong from being confirmed for a full term in office.[17]
In 2011, Chong was named byComcast as the company's regional vice president of government affairs for California.[18] In 2020, Chong was named as a member ofT-Mobile's 14-member advisory committee on diversity.[19]
Chong was married to Kirk Del Prete, a fellow graduate of UC Hastings, until his death in 2015.[7][20] Chong is the mother of twins.[7]
As a member of the FCC, Chong was noted for being a devout fan ofStar Trek, with her official bio on the FCC website noted that she was a "Trekkie".[21] After taking office in 1995, Chong sported "com badge" featured in the series on her dress. According to theWashington Post, Chong's "passion is watching "Star Trek: The Next Generation," every episode, several times."[22]
Kirk Del Prete '84 died on Aug. 30, 2015. Del Prete was a member of the Hastings Law Journal and Thurston Honor Society, and married Rachelle Chong '84. For 11 years, he worked as the vice president of operations of Whalen & Company, helping lead projects to build wireless personal communications systems across North America. Recently, he was general counsel for the California Broadband Cooperative project.