Richard Bates, 70, who headed government relations for Disney, died Thursday at his home in the Washington, D.C., area. He joined the company some three decades ago and had helped run its Washington operations as a senior vice president. He also served on the board of the Media Institute, 2010-18. That group and many others issued statements following his death, including NCTA and RIAA. MPA CEO Charles Rivkin said Bates “was a fierce advocate for the creative industries“ and for Disney. Bates worked well with lawmakers of both parties, said NAB CEO Gordon Smith. Industry officials said Bates died suddenly and unexpectedly. Bates is survived by his wife and two sons.

David Fiske, 80, a former longtime FCC public relations head, among other PR roles in Washington, died Tuesday. He had cancer and was in hospice care at his home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. He was surrounded by his family when he died, according to his son Alexander. Though a lawyer by training, Fiske spent most of his decades-long career working in PR in the capital city. He was one of the first Federal Election Commission staffers and also had stints at CBS, as a staffer for then-Sen. Richard Schweiker, R-Pa., and, for a time, at Communications Daily. He began at the agency in 1995, where he worked under FCC chairmen of both political parties and, for much of his time there, headed its Office of Media Relations until retiring in 2011. In retirement, he did freelance writing and editing. Fiske is survived by his wife, Mary Ann, a brother, two sons and a granddaughter. Contributions in his honor can be made to the Food Bank of Delaware. There may be a service in the spring.

Daniel Murray, 82, former vice president-legislative affairs for BellSouth, died Friday at home in Arlington, Virginia. Before joining BellSouth, he ran the GTE Sprint government affairs office in Washington. A graduate of Fordham Law School, he spent his early career in the Senate Office of the Legislative Counsel. He is survived by his wife, four sons and daughter. Funeral arrangements are pending.

Longtime FCC Administrative Law Judge Richard Sippel died Sept. 8 at age 82 at his Kensington, Maryland, home, confirmed his daughter Serra Thursday. She said the cause was complications from a fall. Sippel was the FCC’s chief ALJ for 32 years until his retirement in 2018. Before joining the FCC, Sippel was an ALJ for the Department of Labor and an attorney at the FTC. He also worked as a private attorney and at the SEC. Originally from Jersey City, New Jersey, Sippel moved to the Washington, D.C., area in 1967. He's survived by his wife and three daughters.

AT&T Vice President-Federal Relations Kent Wells died Friday, according to the company. Wells, 66, was at home in Alexandria, Virginia, and died after having multiple myeloma, says an online obituary. Wells and his wife, Debbie, started in 2009 the Multiple Myeloma Charity Classic, an annual golf and tennis event that says it raised over $1 million for the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation. Survivors in addition to this wife include two sons, two granddaughters and his brother.

Mark Victor Rosenker, 73, former National Transportation Safety Board chair, died of brain cancer Saturday in Alexandria, Virginia. A retired Air Force Reserve officer, Rosenker was director of the White House Military Office under President George W. Bush and was traveling with the president on Air Force One on Sept. 11, 2001. He was longtime vice president-public affairs at the Electronic Industries Alliance, the trade group that preceded CTA, and was a transportation safety consultant to CBS News. CTA President Gary Shapiro praised Rosenker as a “close friend and valued colleague.” Wife survives. Donations may be made to the Tunnels to Towers Foundation for Sept. 11 heroes or the TAPS organization to support military survivors. A memorial service will be streamed live Friday at 11 a.m. on the Facebook page of the National Funeral Home in Falls Church, Virginia. Burial with full military honors will follow at a later date at Arlington National Cemetery.

Ken Robinson, 75 and longtime communications lawyer and publisher of Telecommunications Policy Review, has died. He was found dead in his Arlington, Virginia, residence Wednesday when a representative of the building checked on him after friends became concerned he hadn't published his weekly newsletter, said Columbia Institute for Tele-Information director Robert Atkinson, who requested the check. Telecommunications Policy Review was widely known within communications policy circles for its articles on telecom, plus movie reviews, gardening advice and more. Robinson was a top aide 1989-1993 to Al Sikes, a Republican FCC chairman, and later consulted for BellSouth (now AT&T). Before the FCC, employers included DOJ. He's survived by three sisters and a brother. Local police hadn't confirmed details about the death.

Neil Dellar, 61 and an attorney in the FCC Office of General Counsel, died Thursday. Dellar spent 20 years at the agency, where he was one of the original members of the OGC’s Transaction Team and worked on fraud and bankruptcy issues. “He was known throughout the Commission as the go-to person on issues of corporate law,” emailed FCC General Counsel Tom Johnson. Survivors include his wife, son and mother.

Sumner Redstone, 97, chairman emeritus of ViacomCBS and CEO of controlling shareholder National Amusements, died Tuesday at his Los Angeles home. He was executive chairman of Viacom’s board for nearly 30 years and was the content company’s CEO from 1996 until 2005, said ViacomCBS. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai called Redstone, famous for the quote “content is king,” a “longtime legend.” Redstone was “a brilliant visionary, operator and dealmaker, who single-handedly transformed a family-owned drive-in theater company into a global media portfolio,” said ViacomCBS CEO Bob Bakish. Survivors include his two children.

Herschel Abbott, a longtime telecom lawyer and advocate, died Sunday at home in New Orleans at age 78. At the time of his death, which followed a lengthy illness, he was special counsel at the Jones Walker law firm, which grew significantly over his tenures there. So recalled Managing Partner William Hines, hired in 1979 by lawyers at the firm including Abbott. Later, Abbott was an attorney and executive at BellSouth, including president of the telco's Louisiana operations. Before the company became AT&T, he also helped lead the carrier's governmental affairs in Washington. After retiring from AT&T, he returned to Jones Walker. Abbott was heavily involved in charitable activities, and was honored for that by The Times-Picayune. He's survived by his wife, two kids and four grandchildren. More details of his life are here. No arrangements have been made at this time.