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Telecommunications
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April 30, 2024
State Telecom Roundup: Tech Companies As Public Utilities
It's long-settled law that common carriers and public utilities can't discriminate or deny service without good reason, which is perhaps why there is a push in at least three different states to have the definition of a common carrier expanded to cover tech titans like Google and Facebook.
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April 29, 2024
Meta Seeks Pause On Privacy Appeal For High Court Ruling
Meta urged the D.C. Circuit on Monday to pause the company's appellate efforts to block the Federal Trade Commission from pursuing changes to a $5 billion privacy settlement, asking the appeals court to wait for an impending U.S. Supreme Court ruling on a similar case involving the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
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April 29, 2024
TikTok Law Likely To Withstand Appeal, FCC Member Says
A federal law banning TikTok unless it's divested from its Chinese parent company is likely to survive upcoming judicial challenges because it differs in key ways from a recently blocked Montana law affecting TikTok, a member of the Federal Communications Commission said.
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April 29, 2024
1st Circ. Slashes Atty's Convictions In Email Fraud Case
An Illinois lawyer convicted of receiving proceeds from a business email compromise scheme had three of six counts vacated Monday by the First Circuit, which ruled that Massachusetts wasn't the right venue for those charges.
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April 29, 2024
Apple Says Nothing's Changed To Revive COVID App Suit
Apple urged a California federal judge not to reopen a tossed antitrust lawsuit over the company's refusal to distribute a COVID-19-tracking app on the App Store, arguing that neither new European Union law nor Epic Games' jury win over Google change the dynamics of a case that has favored the iPhone maker at every turn.
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April 29, 2024
Don't Put Cable 'Junk Fee' Rules On Biz Services, FCC Told
Cable providers are asking the Federal Communications Commission to leave business services out of the commission's plans to end cable "junk fees," saying that doing otherwise would jeopardize lower rates negotiated by the businesses.
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April 29, 2024
Herbert Smith Adds Bankruptcy Pro To Thai Disputes Practice
Herbert Smith Freehills has hired an expert in construction disputes and insolvency and bankruptcy matters as a new partner for its Bangkok office, a move the firm says will strengthen its disputes practice in Thailand's capital.
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April 29, 2024
FCC Fines Wireless Carriers $195M For Selling Location Data
The country's top wireless carriers face fines totaling almost $200 million from the Federal Communications Commission after a yearslong probe into the companies' sales of user location data to third parties.
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April 29, 2024
Border Sheriffs Want Control Of 4.9-GHz Band To Stay Local
Two border sheriff organizations are lending their voices to the growing chorus of public safety interests telling the Federal Communications Commission that turning the revamped 4.9-gigahertz public safety band over to an AT&T-affiliated entity to manage is a bad idea.
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April 26, 2024
Law360 Reveals Titans Of The Plaintiffs Bar
In the past year, plaintiffs have won settlements and judgments for millions and billions of dollars from companies such as Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs, Facebook and Fox News, with many high-profile cases finally wrapping up after years of fighting. Such cases — involving over-the-top compensation packages, chemical contamination, gender discrimination and data mining — were led by attorneys whose accomplishments earned them recognition as Law360's Titans of the Plaintiffs Bar for 2024.
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April 26, 2024
Senate Bill Would Vet FCC Rural Program Applicants
A bill that would make the vetting process tougher for rural broadband telecoms trying to get their hands on Federal Communications Commission-provided high-cost subsidies may advance Wednesday if all goes well during committee.
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April 26, 2024
Orgs Ask Biden, Congress To Impel Ligado Order's Reversal
It's time for the Federal Communications Commission to retract its controversial order allowing satellite communications company Ligado Networks to operate over a slice of spectrum known as the L-band, over 100 groups have banded together to tell Congress and the Biden administration.
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April 26, 2024
2nd Circ. Revives NY's Low-Income Broadband Pricing Law
The Second Circuit has breathed new life into a New York state law that requires internet service providers to offer reduced-price broadband plans, ruling Friday that a lower court was wrong to block the law nearly three years ago.
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April 26, 2024
Sen. Panel Set To Vote On Dems' Spectrum Auction Bill
A Senate panel plans to vote on a bill that would renew the Federal Communications Commission's spectrum auction powers and address a shortfall in the agency's national security program.
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April 26, 2024
Google Urges Va. Court To End DOJ's Ad Tech Case
Google urged a Virginia federal court on Friday to toss the U.S. Department of Justice case accusing it of monopolizing key digital advertising technology ahead of trial, saying the government cannot use antitrust law to force a company to help its competitors.
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April 26, 2024
9th Circ. Won't Block Calif.'s Universal Service Funding Rule
The Ninth Circuit on Friday rejected a push to block California's new contribution regime for its statewide universal service fund, with the appellate judges ruling that the challenge from T-Mobile and its subsidiaries was unlikely to succeed on the merits.
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April 26, 2024
TikTok GC To Step Down, Work On Overturning US Law
The global general counsel for TikTok and parent company ByteDance will be stepping down from his role in June to take on a different job within the social media giant, the company announced Friday: fighting a new federal law requiring ByteDance to divest in TikTok or face a ban in the U.S.
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April 26, 2024
Apple Keeps Win Over Fortnite Player In Calif. Antitrust Suit
A California state appeals court on Thursday refused to revive a putative class action brought by Fortnite players alleging that Apple's App Store policies violate the state's antitrust and unfair competition laws, saying because the tech giant's conduct is immune from antitrust liability it can't be held to be "unfair."
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April 26, 2024
NJ Solar Co. To Settle Claims It Ignored Do Not Call List
Apollo Energy Co. and the Pennsylvania man who accused it of repeatedly calling consumers who had put their phone numbers on the national Do Not Call registry or who had already asked not to call them again have agreed to settle their dispute, the parties said.
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April 26, 2024
Cox Says Insurers Must Pay For Settled DMCA Suit
Cox Enterprises Inc. sued two of its insurers this week over allegations they failed to cover the company's more than $15 million in expenses in defending, and ultimately settling, a novel lawsuit that aimed to hold the internet service provider liable for users' illegal downloads.
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April 26, 2024
Sonus $4.5M Settlement With Investors Gets Final OK
A Massachusetts federal judge has granted final approval to a $4.5 million settlement, including $1.5 million in fees for class counsel, to resolve a securities class action between the former Sonus Networks Inc. and investors over a 2015 stock price decline tied to the communications company's revenue forecasting.
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April 25, 2024
GOP Lawmakers Want Intel Chip Exports To Huawei Blocked
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., demanded Wednesday that the U.S. Department of Commerce "immediately revoke" all export licenses granted to Huawei, following the Chinese technology giant's recent announcement that it plans to use new Intel chips with artificial intelligence capabilities in its latest personal computers.
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April 25, 2024
FDA Decision Didn't Prejudice Would-Be Contractor, GAO Says
The U.S. Government Accountability Office has denied a Virginia technology company's protest of the Food and Drug Administration's decision not to amend a digital communications support deal's performance period, saying the company didn't show it was competitively prejudiced by the decision.
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April 25, 2024
Legal Battles Set To Begin On Broadband 'Neutrality' Regs
Now that the Federal Communications Commission's Democratic leadership brushed past GOP members' opposition to net neutrality rules, it faces what could be a higher hurdle — growing resistance in the courts to expansive views of agency powers.
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April 25, 2024
FCC OKs $1.35B T-Mobile, Mint Deal With Unlocked Phones
The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday approved T-Mobile's $1.35 billion purchase of Ka'ena, the parent company of Hollywood actor Ryan Reynolds' wireless brand Mint Mobile, adopting as a condition for approval the carrier's commitment to more quickly "unlocking" its phones so they can be transferred between service providers.
Expert Analysis
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Questions Persist After Ruling Skirts $925M TCPA Award Issue
After an Oregon federal court's recent Wakefield v. ViSalus ruling that the doctrine of constitutional avoidance precluded it from deciding whether a $925 million Telephone Consumer Protection Act damages award was constitutionally sound, further guidance is needed on when statutory damages violate due process, says Michael Klotz at O'Melveny.
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Practicing Law With Parkinson's Disease
This Parkinson’s Awareness Month, Adam Siegler at Greenberg Traurig discusses his experience working as a lawyer with Parkinson’s disease, sharing both lessons on how to cope with a diagnosis and advice for supporting colleagues who live with the disease.
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Cos. Should Prepare For Foreign Data Transfer Regulations
A new regulatory regime designed to protect U.S. sensitive data from countries of concern may complicate an already intricate geopolitical landscape and affect even companies beyond the data industry, but with careful preparation, such companies can endeavor to minimize the effect on their business operations and ensure compliance, say David Plotinsky and Jiazhen Guo at Morgan Lewis.
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Why Incorporating By Reference Is Rarely Good Practice
The Federal Circuit’s recent ruling in Promptu Systems v. Comcast serves as a reminder that while incorporating by reference may seem efficient, it is generally prohibited by courts and can lead to sanctions when used to bypass a word count limit, says Cullen Seltzer at Sands Anderson.
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Series
Playing Hockey Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Nearly a lifetime of playing hockey taught me the importance of avoiding burnout in all aspects of life, and the game ultimately ended up providing me with the balance I needed to maintain success in my legal career, says John Riccione at Taft.
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A Closer Look At Antitrust Agencies' Chat Platforms Guidance
Following the U.S. antitrust agencies' clarification that companies' preservation obligations extend through applications that automatically delete communications, firms should look at new compliance measures, including keeping control over retention settings, say John Ingrassia and Tim Burroughs at Proskauer.
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For Lawyers, Pessimism Should Be A Job Skill, Not A Life Skill
A pessimistic mindset allows attorneys to be effective advocates for their clients, but it can come with serious costs for their personal well-being, so it’s crucial to exercise strategies that produce flexible optimism and connect lawyers with their core values, says Krista Larson at Stinson.
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Timing Is Key For Noninfringing Alternatives In Patent Cases
A Texas district court’s recent ruling in Smart Path Connections v. Nokia may affect the timing of expert disclosures and opinion regarding noninfringing alternatives in patent infringement litigation, for both defendants and plaintiffs, says Alexander Clemons at Ocean Tomo.
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Opinion
Requiring Leave To File Amicus Briefs Is A Bad Idea
A proposal to amend the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure that would require parties to get court permission before filing federal amicus briefs would eliminate the long-standing practice of consent filing and thereby make the process less open and democratic, says Lawrence Ebner at the Atlantic Legal Foundation and DRI Center.
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4 Ways To Motivate Junior Attorneys To Bring Their Best
As Gen Z and younger millennial attorneys increasingly express dissatisfaction with their work and head for the exits, the lawyers who manage them must understand and attend to their needs and priorities to boost engagement and increase retention, says Stacey Schwartz at Katten.
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Decoding The FTC's Latest Location Data Crackdown
Following the Federal Trade Commission's groundbreaking settlements in its recent enforcement actions against X-Mode Social and InMarket Media for deceptive and unfair practices with regards to consumer location data, companies should implement policies with three crucial elements for regulatory compliance and maintaining consumer trust, says Hannah Ji-Otto at Baker Donelson.
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Series
Serving As A Sheriff's Deputy Made Me A Better Lawyer
Skills developed during my work as a reserve deputy — where there was a need to always be prepared, decisive and articulate — transferred to my practice as an intellectual property litigator, and my experience taught me that clients often appreciate and relate to the desire to participate in extracurricular activities, says Michael Friedland at Friedland Cianfrani.
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Fears About The End Of Chevron Deference Are Overblown
While some are concerned about repercussions if the U.S. Supreme Court brings an end to Chevron deference in the Loper and Relentless cases this term, agencies and attorneys would survive just fine under the doctrines that have already begun to replace it, say Daniel Wolff and Henry Leung at Crowell & Moring.
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Former Minn. Chief Justice Instructs On Writing Better Briefs
Former Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie Gildea, now at Greenberg Traurig, offers strategies on writing more effective appellate briefs from her time on the bench.
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Stay Interviews Are Key To Retaining Legal Talent
Even as the economy shifts and layoffs continue, law firms still want to retain their top attorneys, and so-called stay interviews — informal conversations with employees to identify potential issues before they lead to turnover — can be a crucial tool for improving retention and morale, say Tina Cohen Nicol and Kate Reder Sheikh at Major Lindsey.