William E. Kennard (born 1957 in Los Angeles, California) is the U.S. Ambassador to the European Union. He was nominated by Barack Obama in August 2009 and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in November 2009. He was also chairman of the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from 1997 to 2001, appointed by Bill Clinton in November 1997.

William E. Kennard is the United States’ Ambassador to the European Union. Prior to assuming this position, Mr. Kennard was Managing Director of The Carlyle Group, a global private equity firm with over $100 billion under management. Mr. Kennard joined The Carlyle Group in May 2001. At The Carlyle Group, Mr. Kennard specialized in investments in the telecommunications and media sectors.

Before joining The Carlyle Group, Mr. Kennard served as chairman of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission from November 1997 to January 2001. He presided over the agency at an historic time. During his tenure, he shaped policies that created an explosion of new wireless phones, brought the Internet to a majority of American households, and resulted in billions of dollars of investment in new broadband technologies. At the same time, he implemented bold new policies to bridge the digital divide in the United States and around the world.