Telecommunications

  • August 15, 2025

    FCC Warns Of Possible $2.4M Pirate Radio Fines In Ill., Conn.

    Someone is operating an illegal radio station on a residential street in Springfield, Illinois, and the Federal Communications Commission says it can and will fine the person responsible more than $2.4 million if they don't cut it out — and it's not the only one.

  • August 14, 2025

    Fla. Judge Won't Require Snap To Heed Teen Social Media Law

    A Florida federal judge has rejected the state attorney general's bid to force Snap Inc. to comply with a new law that would limit the ability of teens to access the platform, holding that the state's challenge was unlikely to succeed in light of his prior ruling in a related case finding the measure to likely be unconstitutional. 

  • August 14, 2025

    6th Circ. Upholds FCC's Telecom Data Breach Rules

    The Sixth Circuit on Wednesday upheld the Federal Communications Commission's expanded data breach notification rules for telecommunications carriers, rejecting challenges from industry groups who said the 2024 changes were too similar to a 2016 FCC order that Congress rejected under the Congressional Review Act early the following year.

  • August 14, 2025

    SpaceX Calls Va. Broadband Funding Plan 'Wasteful'

    SpaceX criticized Virginia over its spending plan for the $1.48 billion in broadband funding it's set to receive from the BEAD program, saying the state "has put its heavy thumb on the scale in favor of expensive, slow-to-build fiber bias" over satellite.

  • August 14, 2025

    Rumble's Ad Boycott Suit Tossed For Now

    A Texas federal court tossed Rumble's antitrust case against the World Federation of Advertisers and others after finding the claims about a boycott of the video-sharing site, after it refused to follow safety standards, have no connection to the state.

  • August 14, 2025

    Dr. Phil Media Co. Must Hand Over Texts, Emails In Ch. 11

    Dr. Phil's production company and a bankrupt broadcaster he co-founded must comply with discovery requests from creditors trying to dismiss Merit Street Media's increasingly contentious Chapter 11, a Texas bankruptcy judge said Thursday.

  • August 14, 2025

    FCC Member Sees Special Authority As Key To Defense Tech

    The Federal Communications Commission could increasingly use its legal authority to temporarily authorize radio licenses as a way to test new wireless networks that bolster national security, an agency member said.

  • August 14, 2025

    Minn. Telecom Officials Decry Push For Fed Preemption

    Minnesota's telecommunications regulators have told the Federal Communications Commission that local officials are tired of being punching bags for industry groups looking to speed up broadband infrastructure deployment, saying the industry's push for federal rules overriding local authority have been based on "unsubstantiated or vague" attacks on local guidelines.

  • August 14, 2025

    Mich. Panel Greenlights 911 Dispatcher's Whistleblower Suit

    A Michigan appellate panel said Wednesday that a former 911 operator may be protected by a whistleblower law for criticizing a supervisor's handling of a 911 call, clearing the way for his lawsuit to move forward.

  • August 14, 2025

    FCC Urged To Tackle Health, Enviro Impacts From Cellphones

    An environmental group called on the Federal Communications Commission to address what it sees as the agency's failure to meet a D.C. Circuit order from four years ago to back up the reasoning for its radiofrequency exposure limits.

  • August 14, 2025

    AP Says DOJ Can't Turn Info Sharing Into Views Suppression

    The Associated Press, The Washington Post, Reuters and the BBC hit back Wednesday on Justice Department efforts to back a lawsuit from the anti-vaccine group once tied to Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., alleging they colluded with social media platforms to censor rivals.

  • August 14, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Won't Revive RFCyber Mobile Data Patent

    The Federal Circuit on Thursday refused to revive a mobile payment patent owned by RFCyber Corp., backing a Patent Trial and Appeal Board finding that a prior patent application rendered it obvious.

  • August 14, 2025

    Justices Allow Mississippi's Social Media Age Verification Law

    The U.S. Supreme Court said Thursday that social media giants like Facebook, X, YouTube and Reddit must comply with a Mississippi law that requires platforms to verify users' ages and obtain parental consent before minors can create accounts, while the companies challenge its constitutionality.

  • August 13, 2025

    4th, 11th Circs. Shoot Down Local Gov't Cell Tower Denials

    Both the Fourth and the Eleventh Circuits issued decisions Wednesday allowing cell tower companies to move forward with projects over the objections of local governments that denied them permission.

  • August 13, 2025

    FCC Waives Local Radio Ownership Cap In East Texas

    The Federal Communications Commission will allow an acquisition of several commercial FM radio stations in east Texas to go through by waiving the agency's local ownership cap, the agency said Wednesday.

  • August 13, 2025

    OpenAI, Microsoft Beat Musk's RICO Claims In For-Profit Fight

    OpenAI and Microsoft again beat Elon Musk's racketeering claims in his lawsuit challenging OpenAI's now-abandoned pivot to a for-profit enterprise, after a California federal judge said Tuesday the amended allegations do not provide details on how the companies ran the enterprise through a pattern of racketeering activity.

  • August 13, 2025

    FCC Pushes Back Prison Call Fee Reports After Rule Delay

    The Federal Communications Commission is giving prison phone companies more time to file annual reports and certifications, saying that the companies would not have otherwise had "sufficient time for a fulsome response."

  • August 13, 2025

    Media Matters Judge 'Troubled' By FTC Subpoena Args

    A D.C. federal judge reacted with incredulity Wednesday to Federal Trade Commission arguments that Media Matters can't challenge a subpoena unless the agency itself sues to enforce it, adding during a hearing that the FTC can't ignore its current leadership's recent history of targeting progressives.

  • August 13, 2025

    Cloud Services Co. Asks FCC To Grant Numbering Access

    OXIO Inc. is seeking to bring its cloud-based telecom services to the U.S. market, but needs the Federal Communications Commission to authorize the mobile numbers its customers would use.

  • August 12, 2025

    Docs Take NJ Telemedicine Restrictions Fight To 3rd Circ.

    A group of doctors and patients have appealed the dismissal of their challenge to a New Jersey law that says out-of-state doctors can't practice telemedicine with Garden State patients unless they're licensed there, telling the Third Circuit that the rule deprives people of potentially life-saving consultation.

  • August 12, 2025

    Carriers Must State If Phones They Sell Are Locked, FCC Told

    Mobile phone carriers should have to clearly state whether the phones they're selling are carrier "locked" and if so for how long a customer will be locked in with that phone company, the Federal Communications Commission heard recently.

  • August 12, 2025

    CenturyLink Can't Duck $1.3M Wash. 911 Outage Fine

    CenturyLink isn't going to be able to get out from under a $1.3 million penalty that Washington state slapped the telecom with after an outage in 2018 left people across the entire state unable to call 911 for two days, a state appeals court ruled.

  • August 12, 2025

    Forge Ahead On Cellphone Hearing Aid Rules, FCC Told

    Federal rules need to be updated as soon as possible to align with an upcoming standard for hearing aid compatibility with cellphones, advocates for consumers with hearing loss said.

  • August 12, 2025

    AT&T, T-Mobile Settle Patent Suit After $175M Verizon Verdict

    AT&T Inc. and T-Mobile agreed on Tuesday to resolve patent infringement claims brought by Headwater Research LLC related to wireless communications technology after a federal jury last month said Verizon owed $175 million for infringing two patents belonging to Headwater.

  • August 12, 2025

    FCC Urged To Ramp Up Mobile High-Cost Support

    The Federal Communications Commission needs to reform its mobile support rules for subsidizing carriers in largely rural areas, a wireless trade group told the agency.

Expert Analysis

  • 3 Noteworthy Effects Of The 2025 NDAA

    Author Photo

    The 2025 defense budget includes further restrictions on semiconductor sales to Huawei, requiring companies to rethink customer-base oversight, but other provisions are likely to broaden procurement contract opportunities, say attorneys at Miles & Stockbridge.

  • Rethinking Litigation Risk And What It Really Means To Win

    Author Photo

    Attorneys have a tendency to overestimate litigation risk before summary judgment and underestimate risk after it, but an eight-stage litigation framework can clarify risk at different points and help litigators reassess what true success looks like in any particular case, says Joshua Libling at Arcadia Finance.

  • How DOGE's Bite Can Live Up To Its Bark

    Author Photo

    All signs suggest that the Department of Government Efficiency will be an important part of the new Trump administration, with ample tools at its disposal to effectuate change, particularly with an attentive Republican-controlled Congress, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

  • 5 Notable Information Security Events In 2024

    Author Photo

    B. Stephanie Siegmann at Hinckley Allen discusses 2024's largest and most destructive data breaches seen yet, ranging from ransomware disrupting U.S. healthcare systems on a massive scale, to tensions increasing between the U.S. and China over cyberespionage and the control of U.S. data.

  • Series

    Playing Rugby Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    My experience playing rugby, including a near-fatal accident, has influenced my legal practice on a professional, organizational and personal level by showing me the importance of maintaining empathy, fostering team empowerment and embracing the art of preparation, says James Gillenwater at Greenberg Traurig.

  • Opinion

    No, Litigation Funders Are Not 'Fleeing' The District Of Del.

    Author Photo

    A recent study claimed that litigation funders have “fled” Delaware federal court due to a standing order requiring disclosure of third-party financing, but responsible funders have no problem litigating in this jurisdiction, and many other factors could explain the decline in filings, say Will Freeman and Sarah Tsou at Omni Bridgeway.

  • 5 E-Discovery Predictions For 2025 And Beyond

    Author Photo

    In the year to come, e-discovery will be shaped by new and emerging trends, from the adoption of artificial intelligence provisions in protective orders, to the proliferation of emojis as a source of evidence in contemporary litigation, say attorneys at Littler.

  • What To Expect From Federal Cybersecurity Policy In 2025

    Author Photo

    There are 12 cyber policy questions to keep an eye on as the new administration and Republican control of Congress present an opportunity to advance less regulatory approaches and revisit some choices from the prior administration, say attorneys at Wiley.

  • 4 Trade Secret Developments To Follow This Year

    Author Photo

    Significant developments in trade secret law are likely in 2025, and areas to watch include protection of AI-related innovations, the fate of the Federal Trade Commission's noncompete ban, and questions of the federal Defend Trade Secrets Act's extraterritorial reach, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

  • Republican Trifecta Amplifies Risks For Cos. In 3 Key Areas

    Author Photo

    Expected coordination between a Republican Congress and presidential administration may expose companies to simultaneous criminal, civil and congressional investigations, particularly with regard to supply chain risks in certain industries, government contracting and cross-border investment, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • How Decline Of Deference Will Affect Trump Policymaking

    Author Photo

    An administrative law regime without Chevron deference may limit the Trump administration’s ability to implement new policies in the short term, but ultimately help it in the long term, and all parties with an interest in regulatory changes will have to take a fresh approach to litigation, say attorneys at Covington.

  • 7 Ways 2nd Trump Administration May Affect Partner Hiring

    Author Photo

    President-elect Donald Trump's return to the White House will likely have a number of downstream effects on partner hiring in the legal industry, from accelerated hiring timelines to increased vetting of prospective employees, say recruiters at Macrae.

  • How Trump 2.0 May Change Business In Latin America

    Author Photo

    Companies in Latin America should expect to face more trade restrictions, tighter economic sanctions and enhanced corruption risks, as the incoming administration shifts focus to certain non-U.S. actors, most notably China, says Matteson Ellis at Miller & Chevalier.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Custodian Selection

    Author Photo

    Several recent rulings make clear that the proportionality of additional proposed custodians will depend on whether the custodians have unique relevant documents, and producing parties should consider whether information already in the record will show that they have relevant documents that otherwise might not be produced, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Opinion

    Section 230 Debates Will Continue, With Or Without TikTok

    Author Photo

    Regardless of whether TikTok is forced to shut down in the U.S. in the coming weeks, legal disputes will continue over social media platforms' responsibility under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act for harms allegedly caused by content shared on their apps, says Carla Varriale-Barker at Segal McCambridge.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Telecommunications archive.