Amb. David A. Gross

Ambassador David Gross is widely recognized as one of the world’s foremost experts on international telecommunications and Internet policies, having addressed the United Nations (UN) General Assembly and led more U.S. delegations to major international telecommunication conferences than anyone else in modern history. Noted as bringing "innovation and vision to the rapidly changing TMT industry" by Who's Who Legal and as one of the "Top 30 Telecommunications lawyers in the world" by Euromoney, David draws on more than 30 years of experience as a lawyer, global policymaker, and corporate executive to assist U.S. companies seeking to enter or expand international businesses. He also advises non-U.S. companies, and industry organizations seeking to invest in, monitor, and understand the U.S. and international markets, as well as national governments. David advises companies and others on international and domestic telecoms, Internet, and high-tech strategy focusing on both specific markets and international organizations such as the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), as well as many regional organizations. 

Representative Matters

• Chairs the Internet Governance Coalition, a group of the largest multinational Internet players that is actively involved in domestic and global issues.
• Chaired the U.S. delegations to ITU Plenipotentiary Conferences, ITU World Telecommunication Development Conferences, and ITU World Telecommunication Standardization Assemblies.
• Led U.S. delegations to three APEC Ministerial Meetings in Shanghai, Lima, and Bangkok.
• Represents individually many of the largest telecoms and Internet companies regarding domestic and international issues.
• Testifies before the U.S. Congress on various Internet-related issues.
• Served as head U.S. government negotiator and head of delegation for the multilateral preparatory conferences for both phases of the UN's "Heads of State" World Summit on the Information Society, and co-led the U.S. delegation to the formal Summits in Geneva and Tunis. These were the largest UN Summits ever held, with almost 20,000 delegates and a large number of heads of states and government.
• Served as a member of the UN's Information and Communications Technologies Task Force. 
• Conducted bilateral discussions at senior levels with representatives of more than 70 countries.
• Provided commercial and policy advocacy on behalf of U.S. companies in markets around the world. 

Professional Experience

• Adjunct Professor, Columbia University, School of International and Public Affairs (2021-2022)
• U.S. Coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy, U.S. Department of State. Had overall responsibility for the formulation and advocacy of international communications policy for the United States. Appointed by President Bush and confirmed (unanimously) by the U.S. Senate for the rank of Ambassador.
• Washington Counsel, AirTouch Communications (acquired by Vodafone in 1999), then the world's largest wireless telecommunications company 
• Private law practice 
• Lectures before many groups on telecoms and ICT-related issues, including at colleges, universities, and law schools in the United States, Canada, Qatar, the UAE, Yemen, Thailand, India, Israel, Bangladesh, France, Kazakhstan, Singapore, Rwanda, Vietnam, Egypt, and Pakistan

Affiliations

• Life Member, Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)
• International Research and Exchanges Board Inc. (IREX)
  • Chair of the Board (2023-Present)
  • Vice-Chair (2020-2023)
  • Board of Governors (2016-Present)
• National Advisory Board, American Enterprise Institute (AEI) Global Internet Strategy Project
• Fellow Emeritus, Columbia Institute for Tele-Information (CITI)
• Federal Communications Bar Association (FCBA)
  • Executive Committee (Immediate Past President) 
  • President 
  • President-Elect
  • Treasurer 
  • Assistant Treasurer 
  • Secretary 
  • Assistant Secretary 
• International Bar Association (IBA)
• Trustee, International Institute of Communications (2010-Present)
• Board of Directors, Information Technology Industry Foundation (2010-Present)
• Board of Trustees, Meridian International Center (2010-2016)
• Former Chair, U.S. Council for International Business, Information, Communications and Technology Policy Committee 

Recognitions

• Honored by the Government of Japan with ‘Autumn Imperial Decoration’ of The Order of the Rising Sun (2021)
• Included in The Best Lawyers in America directory for Communications Law (2020-2025) and named Lawyer of the Year for Communications Law in Washington, DC (2023-2024)
• Listed by Chambers USA as one of “America's Leading Lawyers for Business” in Telecom, Broadcast & Satellite (2018-2024)
• Recognized by The Legal 500 US in Telecom and Broadcast: Regulatory and Transactional Law (2020-2022) and a “leading lawyer” in Telecom and Broadcast Regulatory Law 
• Named one of “Washington’s Top Lawyers” by Washingtonian magazine (2024)
• ITU Silver Medal in recognition of outstanding contributions to the work of the ITU
• Rated in the top tier of regulatory communications attorneys by The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers 
• Rated as a “Most Highly Regarded Individual” in the Media and Communications sector by Who's Who Legal
• Many industry awards for international public service involving Internet and telecoms issues