Telecommunications

  • July 18, 2024

    FCC Caps Prison Phone Rates To Be 'Just And Reasonable'

    The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday placed new caps on prison phone rates under the Martha Wright-Reed Act, enacted to make sure that rates for incarcerated people and their families are "just and reasonable."

  • July 18, 2024

    Tech Giants Can't Sink Slide-To-Unlock Patent At Fed. Circ.

    Samsung, Apple and Google failed on Thursday to persuade a panel of Federal Circuit judges to kill a patent covering the idea of sliding-to-unlock a phone, purportedly developed by a small Sweden smartphone developer over a decade ago.

  • July 18, 2024

    Meta And FTC Want DC Circ. Privacy Fight Kept Paused

    Meta's D.C. Circuit bid to stop the Federal Trade Commission from modifying the parties' $5 billion privacy settlement should be kept on ice, both sides said Thursday, as the commission vies to toss Meta's trial court suit following a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling.

  • July 18, 2024

    Amphenol Corp. Paying $2.1B For CommScope Mobile Units

    Amphenol Corp. has inked a deal to buy two mobile networks units from CommScope for $2.1 billion, with Latham & Watkins LLP and Alston & Bird LLP advising the companies, respectively, on the all-cash deal, according to statements Thursday.

  • July 17, 2024

    T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon Accused Of Using Negotiating Cartel

    An intellectual property licensing business on Wednesday filed yet another suit against AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless, this time accusing the telecommunications companies of wielding their market power and conspiring to refuse to license innovative 4G and 5G wireless communications system technology.

  • July 17, 2024

    Zoho Gets PTAB To Cut Bulk Of Conference Call Patent Claims

    Several Patent Trial and Appeal Board decisions have wiped out claims in patents covering ways of coordinating conference calls online, following a challenge from a major Indian software company that's facing an infringement lawsuit over the patents in Texas.

  • July 17, 2024

    Off-Channel Comms Top Concern For Compliance Pros

    Investment advisers' compliance officers have listed electronic communications surveillance as their hottest topic, beating out concerns about the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's marketing rule, according to a new survey of compliance professionals representing nearly 600 investment advisers.

  • July 17, 2024

    AT&T Sued Over Breach Of 'Nearly All' Cell Users' Records

    AT&T Inc. is facing separate class actions in Texas, Montana and New Jersey federal courts after the company disclosed Friday that hackers had downloaded phone call and text message records belonging to "nearly all" the telecom giant's wireless customers between May 2022 and early last year.

  • July 17, 2024

    FCC To Vote On Smart Car Technology's Use Of 5.9 GHz

    The Federal Communications Commission is ready to vote on rules that would bring advanced vehicle communications technology to the 5.9 GHz band, setting standards for the technology's use in the slice of spectrum and greenlighting the use of in-vehicle and roadside units running on the technology.

  • July 17, 2024

    Teladoc Hit With Another Investor Suit Over BetterHelp Woes

    The telehealth company that owns online counseling platform BetterHelp has been slapped with a second investor suit accusing it of not being honest with investors about how profitable the mental health service actually was.

  • July 17, 2024

    Gallagher & Kennedy Welcomes CRE, Telecom Expert

    Gallagher & Kennedy PA announced that the company has added a commercial real estate and telecommunications expert from Goehring Rutter & Boehm to the firm's real estate practice group.

  • July 17, 2024

    Telecom Co. Stockholder Seeks Fees For Beefing Up Proxy

    A shareholder of Consolidated Communications Holdings Inc. is suing for his legal fees in Delaware's Court of Chancery, saying he brought "substantial" benefits to shareholders by forcing extra disclosures about the company's pending $3.1 billion merger with Searchlight Capital Partners LP and the British Columbia Investment Management Corp.

  • July 17, 2024

    Feds Uphold Tech Co.'s Fine For Auction Talks With AT&T

    The Federal Communications Commission upheld its $100,000 fine against internet service provider AMG Technology Investment Group for discussing bidding strategy during an infrastructure funding auction with AT&T, saying it has no basis to reconsider the penalty Wednesday.

  • July 17, 2024

    FCC To Vote On New Emergency Code For Missing Persons

    The Federal Communications Commission announced Tuesday that it plans to vote Aug. 7 on new rules for radio and TV broadcasters to add a code for missing adults to the emergency alert system.

  • July 16, 2024

    Apple's Slowed IPhone Derivative Deal OK'd After Tweaks

    A California federal judge said Tuesday she would approve Apple's non-monetary settlement to resolve a derivative-shareholder suit over claims it secretly slowed iPhones and award counsel $6 million in attorney fees and expenses, after she rejected an earlier version of the deal because of the proposal's overbroad release of claims.

  • July 16, 2024

    SpaceX Loses Bid To Block Rival's Earth Station Renewals

    The Federal Communications Commission denied SpaceX's request to reconsider the agency's renewal of licenses for three earth stations from satellite communications company DBSD Corp., saying in a new order that SpaceX showed little to support its claim that DBSD was using "obstructionist" tactics to interfere with SpaceX operations.

  • July 16, 2024

    6th Circ. Says Credit Union Can't Sue T-Mobile Over Cell Scam

    The Sixth Circuit on Tuesday ruled that a lower court was correct in tossing a lawsuit in which Michigan First Credit Union sued T-Mobile to recover the reimbursement fees the credit union paid to customers after they suffered unauthorized electronic transfers of money from their accounts due to cellphone scams.

  • July 16, 2024

    FCC's Media Ownership Rules Are 'Relics,' 8th Circ. Told

    Broadcasters are pressing the Eighth Circuit to unravel the Federal Communications Commission's latest local media ownership rules, saying they are based on views of the industry that are long outdated.

  • July 16, 2024

    FCC Dings América Móvil For Lack Of Notice On Stock Reorg

    Mexican mobile operator América Móvil has admitted to the Federal Communications Commission that it broke the rules by transferring control of certain FCC licenses and authorizations to a quartet of subsidiaries without informing the agency.

  • July 16, 2024

    SiriusXM Must Face Suit Over $150M In Unpaid Royalties In NY

    A Virginia federal judge has agreed to let Sirius XM move nonprofit royalty collector SoundExchange's suit to New York federal court, but refused to let it entirely escape claims that it owes more than $150 million in unpaid royalties.

  • July 16, 2024

    Google Maps Antitrust Suit Deleted For Good

    A California federal judge permanently dismissed a proposed class action targeting Google's Maps product, rejecting arguments that the company's terms of service barred third parties from using rival route guidance or places-of-interest tools with a Google-furnished map.

  • July 16, 2024

    FCC Plans Vote To Expand AI Robocall Regulations

    The Federal Communications Commission announced Tuesday that it plans to vote next month on a proposal to require robocallers to disclose their use of artificial intelligence to call recipients, among other potential new rules surrounding AI in telecommunications.

  • July 16, 2024

    FCC Says Call Routing Protocols Need Better Security

    The Federal Communications Commission says it's stepping up its efforts to better secure the signaling protocols mobile telecom providers use to place and maintain calls, telling concerned lawmakers that carriers nationwide have implemented the commission's best practices for network security.

  • July 16, 2024

    Starboard Demands Change At Tinder Owner Match

    New York-based activist investor Starboard Value LP has amassed a 6.6% stake in Match Group Inc. and is pushing the company to go private if it can't make "value-enhancing" gains after its stock plummeted from its 2021 heyday, according to a letter published Tuesday by Starboard.

  • July 16, 2024

    The 2024 Diversity Snapshot: What You Need To Know

    Law firms' ongoing initiatives to address diversity challenges have driven another year of progress, with the representation of minority attorneys continuing to improve across the board, albeit at a slower pace than in previous years. Here's our data dive into minority representation at law firms in 2023.

Expert Analysis

  • What Banks Should Know About TCPA Exam Policy Updates

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    As banking organizations consider revisions to their automated communications policies in light of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's recent updates to its Telephone Consumer Protection Act examination procedures, they should also consider conducting a full review of their TCPA compliance practices, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • EU GDPR Ruling Reiterates Relative Nature Of 'Personal Data'

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    The Court of Justice of the European Union recently confirmed in Gesamtverband v. Scania that vehicle identification number data can be processed under the General Data Protection Regulation, illustrating that the same dataset may be considered "personal data" for one party, but not another, which suggests a less expansive definition of the term, say lawyers at Van Bael.

  • 7 Enforcement Predictions For US Export Controls, Sanctions

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    Federal agencies' assertions of coming increases in export-control and sanctions-violations enforcement are not new, but recent improvements in resources and inter-agency cooperation allow for certain predictions about how the administration’s latest approach to enforcement may be applied going forward, say attorneys at Akin.

  • Series

    ESG Around The World: Singapore

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    Singapore is keen to establish itself as a leading international financial center and a key player in the sustainable finance ecosystem, and key initiatives led by its government and other regulatory bodies have helped the Asian nation progress from its initially guarded attitude toward ESG investment and reporting, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Series

    The Pop Culture Docket: Judge D'Emic On Moby Grape

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    The 1968 Moby Grape song "Murder in My Heart for the Judge" tells the tale of a fictional defendant treated with scorn by the judge, illustrating how much the legal system has evolved in the past 50 years, largely due to problem-solving courts and the principles of procedural justice, says Kings County Supreme Court Administrative Judge Matthew D'Emic.

  • Series

    Performing Music Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    The discipline of performing live music has directly and positively influenced my effectiveness as a litigator — serving as a reminder that practice, intuition and team building are all important elements of a successful law practice, says Jeff Wakolbinger at Bryan Cave.

  • Breaking Down High Court's New Code Of Conduct

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    The U.S. Supreme Court recently adopted its first-ever code of conduct, and counsel will need to work closely with clients in navigating its provisions, from gift-giving to recusal bids, say Phillip Gordon and Mateo Forero at Holtzman Vogel.

  • 7 Critical Copyright And AI Questions Courts Need To Address

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    U.S. courts have yet to rule on many copyright issues regarding generative artificial intelligence technologies, so developers and users should consider several questions when evaluating risks, developing risk mitigation plans and making decisions about particular use cases, say John Delaney and Sean West at Perkins Coie.

  • Opinion

    Legal Profession Gender Parity Requires Equal Parental Leave

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    To truly foster equity in the legal profession and to promote attorney retention, workplaces need to better support all parents, regardless of gender — starting by offering equal and robust parental leave to both birthing and non-birthing parents, says Ali Spindler at Irwin Fritchie.

  • FCC Notice Of Inquiry Highlights AI Robocall Concerns

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    The Federal Communications Commission recently released a notice of inquiry seeking comment on the implications of emerging artificial intelligence technologies on robocalls and robotexts, raising questions around its authority to address AI under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, say Aaron Weiss and Samantha Goldstein at Carlton Fields.

  • How FinCEN's Proposed Rule Stirs The Pot On Crypto Mixing

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    The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network’s recently issued proposal aims to impose additional reporting requirements to mitigate the risks posed by convertible virtual currency mixing transactions, meaning financial institutions may need new monitoring techniques to detect CVC mixing beyond just exposure, say Jared Johnson and Jordan Yeagley at Buchanan Ingersoll.

  • Series

    Writing Thriller Novels Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Authoring several thriller novels has enriched my work by providing a fresh perspective on my privacy practice, expanding my knowledge, and keeping me alert to the next wave of issues in an increasingly complex space — a reminder to all lawyers that extracurricular activities can help sharpen professional instincts, says Reece Hirsch at Morgan Lewis.

  • What Lawyers Must Know About Calif. State Bar's AI Guidance

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    Initial recommendations from the State Bar of California regarding use of generative artificial intelligence by lawyers have the potential to become a useful set of guidelines in the industry, covering confidentiality, supervision and training, communications, discrimination and more, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Industry Must Elevate Native American Women Attys' Stories

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    The American Bar Association's recent research study into Native American women attorneys' experiences in the legal industry reveals the glacial pace of progress, and should inform efforts to amplify Native voices in the field, says Mary Smith, president of the ABA.

  • Understanding Discovery Obligations In Era Of Generative AI

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Attorneys and businesses must adapt to the unique discovery challenges presented by generative artificial intelligence, such as chatbot content and prompts, while upholding the principles of fairness, transparency and compliance with legal obligations in federal civil litigation, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

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