Telecommunications

  • July 11, 2024

    Deals Rumor Mill: Saudi Aramco, Paramount Global, Carlyle

    The Carlyle Group is considering acquiring Baxter International's kidney-care spinoff Vantive for about $4 billion, Aramco attracted more than $31 billion in orders for its $6 billion bond sale, and Paramount Global plans to cut more jobs before its merger with Skydance Media closes. Here, Law360 breaks down these and other notable deal rumors from the past week.

  • July 11, 2024

    Communications Co. Says Death Suit Skirted Probate Court

    Frontier Communications of America Inc. told a Connecticut state court that it must dismiss a wrongful death case brought against it after an elderly woman fell in her basement and could not call 911 because her phone lines were down, arguing her estate skipped a vital step before filing suit.

  • July 10, 2024

    FCC Says Nearly Half 'Rip And Replace' Providers Can't Finish

    The Federal Communications Commission said the agency is going to need another $3 billion if it's to keep its promise to reimburse all the companies who agreed to rip out and replace their Chinese-made technology to alleviate security concerns.

  • July 10, 2024

    Major Cable Group Opposes FirstNet Bid For 4.9 GHz Manager

    Cable trade group NCTA is urging the Federal Communications Commission to listen to the chorus of public safety groups who have been pushing hard against the idea of making AT&T's FirstNet the national manager of the 4.9 gigahertz public safety band.

  • July 10, 2024

    ​GOP Bombards Agencies With Demands After Chevron's End

    Republican leaders of major congressional committees Wednesday demanded details from dozens of agencies on policies suddenly shrouded in uncertainty after U.S. Supreme Court conservatives overturned the so-called Chevron doctrine, which for 40 years gave regulators flexibility in rulemaking and advantages in related litigation.

  • July 10, 2024

    FCC To Fine Telecom Involved In Universal Service Challenge

    The Federal Communications Commission is moving forward with a $100,000 fine against an Ohio-based telecommunications company over late paperwork with the Universal Service Administration.

  • July 10, 2024

    NFL Asks Court Not To Act On Sunday Ticket Judgment

    The NFL urged a California federal judge Tuesday to hold off on any entry of judgment enshrining a jury's blockbuster $4.7 billion antitrust verdict against the league over the DirecTV Sunday Ticket package, arguing there are outstanding issues to be decided that make partial judgment now impractical.

  • July 10, 2024

    House GOP Demands Info On BEAD 'Rate Regulation'

    Congressional Republicans called on a top U.S. Department of Commerce official to release all communications with state agencies in charge of distributing federal broadband grants to see if the agencies were pressured into regulating rates.

  • July 10, 2024

    Ex-CEO Of Mogul-Tied Co. Fired For Failures, Fraud Suit Says

    A European IT company tied to convicted mogul Greg Lindberg struck back against a lawsuit by its former CEO who alleges he was fired abruptly, accusing the former executive of shirking his leadership duties in a counterclaim.

  • July 10, 2024

    Utility Locating Co.'s Ex-CEO Sues For Severance After Firing

    The former CEO of a utility locating company in North Carolina is suing for severance after he was unexpectedly fired, saying he was never told the grounds for his termination and should be paid his base salary plus a bonus under the terms of his employment contract.

  • July 10, 2024

    FIFA Strikes Back In Puerto Rico Media Access Fight

    Two international soccer organizations are pushing back against efforts by a local media company to obtain an injunction that prohibits banning its reporters from covering matches of Puerto Rico's national team, arguing they have nothing to do with such decisions.

  • July 10, 2024

    9th Circ. Says Nev. Call Center Agents' Bootup Warrants Trial

    The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday revived, for a second time, call center agents' collective action alleging the time spent turning on and off their computers before their shifts is payable under the Fair Labor Standards Act, finding that to be a factual issue that should be resolved through a jury trial.

  • July 10, 2024

    Rural Broadband Org. Calls For Speedier Permitting Process

    A rural broadband advocacy group is urging Congress to pass two companion bills that would enable the use of online portals to expedite the permitting process to build high-speed networks on federal lands.

  • July 09, 2024

    FTC Deal Bars Messaging App From Allowing Users Under 18

    Anonymous messaging app maker NGL Labs LLC and two of its founders will shell out $5 million and be banned from offering the service to anyone under age 18 to resolve the Federal Trade Commission and Los Angeles County's claims that they unfairly marketed the app to children and teens and falsely portrayed their content moderation efforts.

  • July 09, 2024

    Industry, FCC Argue Net Neutrality's Fate After Chevron's Fall

    Industry groups and the Federal Communications Commission filed competing briefs with the Sixth Circuit over whether to delay the enforcement of net neutrality rules after the U.S. Supreme Court tossed the longstanding Chevron doctrine that gave wide deference to agency decision making.

  • July 09, 2024

    FCC Settles Call Caption Privacy Probe For $34.6M

    The Federal Communications Commission has secured a $34.6 million settlement with phone call captioning provider CaptionCall for holding onto phone call content too long and other agency rule violations.

  • July 09, 2024

    FTC Is Denied Amazon's Instructions On Signal Use, For Now

    A Washington federal judge refused Tuesday to give the Federal Trade Commission a peek into what it contends is the extensive use of Signal by Jeff Bezos and other top Amazon.com executives to hide communications relevant to a monopolization lawsuit, preferring to order deposition testimony on that use first.

  • July 09, 2024

    Google Says Social Media Ruling Hurts Common Carrier Case

    Google is telling an Ohio state court that a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling bolsters its case against being reclassified as a common carrier.

  • July 09, 2024

    FCC Majority Takes Heat From House GOP Over New Regs

    Democratic leaders of the Federal Communications Commission defended their regulatory policies Tuesday against House GOP critics who accused the agency of tacking in a partisan direction and passing new rules that Republicans said exceed the agency's statutory limits.

  • July 09, 2024

    1st Circ. Revives Debt Harass Claims Against National Grid

    The First Circuit on Tuesday revived a proposed class action against National Grid USA Service Company Inc. and two debt collection firms whose multiple calls per day to a Massachusetts customer in 2017 and 2018 allegedly violated the state's consumer protection law.

  • July 09, 2024

    Veriwave Telco Faces FCC Action Over 'Tax Relief' Robocalls

    The Federal Communications Commission is moving to block robocalls about purported "tax relief" programs from a Delaware-based telecommunications company, announcing in an order Monday that Veriwave Telco had another 14 days to demonstrate compliance with the agency's rules or risk having downstream providers cut its traffic.

  • July 09, 2024

    'ComEd Four' To Renew Acquittal Bid After Bribery Ruling

    An Illinois federal judge effectively pushed the next ruling in the criminal case against former Commonwealth Edison CEO Anne Pramaggiore and her three co-defendants to at least winter, as the defendants vowed to renew their acquittal bid in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling finding that federal bribery law doesn't criminalize rewards given after an official act.

  • July 08, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Won't Let Charter Shake Off Texas Patent Suit

    The Federal Circuit on Monday turned down an argument from Charter Communications to direct a lower court in Marshall, Texas, to toss a patent infringement suit it's facing — less than a year after the cable company lost a nearly identical argument in a different patent case before the appeals court.

  • July 08, 2024

    Orgs Worry FCC Could Overreach On Network Security

    The Federal Communications Commission should rein in its plans to impose new security rules regarding the crucial routing technology used by the internet, lest it prompt other countries to devise their own and start a domino effect, two internet security advocates have told the agency.

  • July 08, 2024

    Netherlands-Based NXP Cos. Want Out Of Texas IP Suit

    Semiconductor company NXP Semiconductors NV and NXP BV, which are both based in the Netherlands, have said a Texas federal judge should throw out a lawsuit claiming they infringed more than half a dozen patents owned by Redwood Technologies LLC, saying the court doesn't have authority over the foreign companies.

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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