David Diggs

VP Wireless Internet Development, CTIA

Class Year

1974

Professional Background

In 1976, I went to work for a radio communications company that had an experimental license from the FCC to operate a proof-of-concept trial of a new telecommunications service known as "cellular." I've held several positions with cellular companies over the years and now work for the industry's trade association in DC.

How has being an English graduate from Duke University help shape your professional success?

In 1980, the president of the company asked me, "You're an English major, right?" He needed someone to serve as editor of a complicated application process to secure licenses to operate cellular telecommunications networks in major metropolitan areas in the U.S. In 1982, our small company filed applications for Washington, DC; Baltimore, MD and Tampa, FL, each of which ran to about 5,000 pages. My job was to collate the engineering, legal, marketing and financial exhibits into one coherent document. It was an incredible education process that started my career in wireless telecom. Invaluable!

David Diggs