Telecommunications

  • March 18, 2024

    Senate Dems Press Congress On Broadband Subsidy Renewal

    Nearly three dozen Senate Democrats urged the leadership of both chambers to restore funding for the Federal Communications Commission's broadband program as time runs short to continue paying consumer discounts for internet service.

  • March 18, 2024

    FCC Fines Ga. Radio Broadcaster Over Station Silences

    The former owner of a Georgia sports radio station has been slapped with a $16,200 fine by the FCC for repeatedly suspending operations, allowing the station to change hands without permission and not answering the agency's inquiries about any of it.

  • March 18, 2024

    Provider To Pay $100K Fine For 'Downselling' Broadband

    A fiber broadband provider in Texas and Louisiana has agreed to pay a $100,000 fine to the Federal Communications Commission for selling only its slowest service plan to customers in the Affordable Connectivity Program.

  • March 18, 2024

    The Biggest Trade Secrets Awards In The Last 5 Years

    Trade secrets cases are having a moment in the spotlight, thanks to some gargantuan damages awards over the past five years and more flexibility for plaintiffs to argue for what they think they are owed.

  • March 18, 2024

    Texas Judges Pause Wireless Patent Fights For PTAB

    The top two federal judges in Texas handling patent cases have agreed to hold litigation between two automotive brands and a prolific litigation outfit after BMW persuaded the patent board to review "every single claim" involved in litigation over decade-old wireless patents.

  • March 18, 2024

    Del. Suit Details Wrongful Takeover Of Telecom System Co.

    The founder and former CEO of a Florida-headquartered telecommunications infrastructure building company has sued the head of an investment firm and others Monday in Delaware's Court of Chancery, accusing them of carrying out a "fraudulent scheme" to wrest control of the business.

  • March 18, 2024

    Sen. Vance Backs Suit To Declare Google Common Carrier

    Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, and an anti-monopoly nonprofit have backed the Ohio state attorney general's lawsuit seeking to declare Google as a common carrier.

  • March 18, 2024

    High Court Doubts Feds Coerced Social Media Cos.

    A majority of the U.S. Supreme Court appeared unconvinced Monday that the Biden administration violated the First Amendment by working with social media platforms to combat the spread of misinformation, often chiding Louisiana's solicitor general for presenting confusing and overly expansive arguments.

  • March 18, 2024

    Colo. Wildfire Plaintiffs Say Xcel Trial Plan Would Sow 'Chaos'

    Nearly 4,000 Colorado property owners suing Xcel Energy over a 2021 wildfire have argued that the utility's proposal to try all of their liability claims together would create a "chaotic and expensive mess" and potentially result in "serial juries" awarding different damages later on.

  • March 18, 2024

    FCC Raises Broadband Speeds, But Many ISPs Already There

    Many households across the country can already get the Federal Communications Commission's new benchmark for broadband internet, but making sure that level of service reaches rural and tribal areas remains a tough challenge.

  • March 18, 2024

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    Multimillion-dollar e-cigarette settlements, $4 billion in stock buybacks and a $6.1 million appraisal tweak were among the big-dollar items logged in the Delaware Court of Chancery's ledger last week. Also on the docket: a Panama port project, a news outlet's defamation case, drone disputes and a flood of mail from Tesla shareholders. In case you missed it, here's all the latest from the Chancery Court.

  • March 16, 2024

    Up Next At High Court: Gov't Jawboning & Retaliatory Arrests

    The U.S. Supreme Court has a packed oral arguments calendar this week that includes disputes over the Biden administration's work with social media companies to combat misinformation, the appropriate evidence standard for bringing retaliatory arrest claims and whether the federal government can object to a consent decree entered into by three states.

  • March 15, 2024

    Google Wants Facebook Pact Kept Out Of Ad Tech Discovery

    Google urged a Texas federal judge on Friday to reject state-level enforcers' bid to lift a stay on discovery for documents related to a bidding agreement between Google and Facebook in the suit accusing the search giant of monopolizing key digital ad technology, saying the plaintiffs' antitrust claims based on the agreement have already been dismissed.

  • March 15, 2024

    Meta Can't Block FTC Plans To Stop Kids' Data Monetization

    Meta filed its second appeal Friday after suffering another D.C. federal court loss against proposed Federal Trade Commission tweaks to a $5 billion data privacy settlement meant to block its monetization of children's data.

  • March 15, 2024

    Roblox's Casino Games Are 'Preying On Children,' Suit Says

    Online game platform Roblox Corp. has been hit with another proposed class action suit in California federal court accusing it and other companies of "preying on children nationwide" through an "illegal gambling ecosystem" that specifically targets minors.

  • March 15, 2024

    Feds Streamline Historic Reviews For Broadband Projects

    The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation is heeding the call to make it easier for historical preservation checks to be done on any broadband projects that use federal funds, announcing that it will amend the rules to add that flexibility.

  • March 15, 2024

    AT&T Outage Calls For FirstNet Review, Group Tells Lawmakers

    An emergency telecommunications industry group is calling for a full congressional investigation of the AT&T-run FirstNet emergency response network, saying the company's massive network outage last month demonstrates the need for competition and redundancy in first responder networks.

  • March 15, 2024

    Apple Wants 'Convoluted' IPhone App Antitrust Suit Tossed

    Apple Inc. asked a California federal judge Thursday to toss a proposed antitrust class action alleging that Apple Inc. illegally controls which apps are viewed on iPhone web browsers to boost iPhone prices, arguing that the consumers don't have standing to bring their "highly convoluted and speculative" claims.

  • March 15, 2024

    Firm Can't Drop Snoop Dogg Robocall Suit Like It's Hot

    A cost-cutting firm will have to face claims that it used a Snoop Dogg soundalike to make illegal robocalls in an attempt to get people to enlist their help signing up for a tax credit, promising the company could "have them funds in your hands quicker than you can roll up your favorite ... well, you know what I mean."

  • March 15, 2024

    UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

    The past week in London has seen Howard Kennedy face legal action by a London hotel chain, former racing boss Bernie Ecclestone and Formula One hit with a breach of contract claim by a Brazilian racecar driver, and a libel row between broadcaster Jeremy Vine and ex-footballer Joey Barton. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

  • March 15, 2024

    Onix Networking Buyer Sues Seller In Del. Alleging Deal Fraud

    A private equity firm that bought Onix Networking Corp. in 2022 has sued the company's former owners in Delaware's Court of Chancery to rescind part of the deal, alleging seller fraud and misrepresentation of annual revenues by "tens of millions of dollars."

  • March 15, 2024

    Justices Craft Test To Decide If Social Media Use Is Official

    The U.S. Supreme Court adopted a new test Friday to determine if a public official's social media use constitutes state action subject to liability under the First Amendment, instructing courts to consider whether the official had authority to speak on the government's behalf and whether they purported to do so in the challenged action.

  • March 14, 2024

    IP Forecast: Internet Archive Fights Vinyl Copyright Case

    A California federal judge will hear arguments next week over whether the Internet Archive can toss accusations from record labels that describe its project for a free, digitized library of 78 rpm records as a "wholesale theft of generations of music." Here's a look at that case, plus all the other major intellectual property matters on deck in the coming week.

  • March 14, 2024

    FCC Proposes Adding Emergency Alerts For Missing Adults

    The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday proposed to require that broadcast and cellphone carriers send out mobile notifications about missing adults, similar to Amber Alerts about missing children, to fix a shortcoming in the nation's public safety alert system.

  • March 14, 2024

    Verizon Sues Pa. Town Over Cell Tower Permit Denial

    Verizon Wirless is suing a small Pennsylvania borough for rejecting its application to install a 105-foot monopole and equipment compound near the town's center, saying the denial will inhibit Verizon from closing a wireless coverage gap and violates the Communications Act of 1934.

Expert Analysis

  • In-Office Engagement Is Essential To Associate Development

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    As law firms develop return-to-office policies that allow hybrid work arrangements, they should incorporate the specific types of in-person engagement likely to help associates develop attributes common among successful firm leaders, says Liisa Thomas at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Perspectives

    A Judge's Pitch To Revive The Jury Trial

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    Ohio state Judge Pierre Bergeron explains how the decline of the jury trial threatens public confidence in the judiciary and even democracy as a whole, and he offers ideas to restore this sacred right.

  • What Patent Bills Would Mean For Infringement Litigation

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    Attorneys at Farella Braun summarize a pair of recently introduced patent bills — one that would reform patent eligibility and another that would change procedures for litigating patent invalidity — and explore the potential impact of each.

  • How To Recognize And Recover From Lawyer Loneliness

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    Law can be one of the loneliest professions, but there are practical steps that attorneys and their managers can take to help themselves and their peers improve their emotional health, strengthen their social bonds and protect their performance, says psychologist and attorney Traci Cipriano.

  • EU Case Shows Wide Approach To Blocking Telecom Mergers

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    The EU court's recent judgment in Commission v. CK Telecoms may make it more challenging to secure clearance for telecom and other companies pursuing mergers, illustrating its broad approach to mergers that risk harming competition without creating a dominant position, say Dominic Long and Christopher Best at Allen & Overy.

  • Opinion

    Litigation Funding Disclosure Should Be Mandatory

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    Despite the Appellate Rules Committee's recent deferral of the issue of requiring third-party litigation funding disclosure, such a mandate is necessary to ensure the even-handed administration of justice across all cases, says David Levitt at Hinshaw.

  • Recalling USWNT's Legal PR Playbook Amid World Cup Bid

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    As the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team strives to take home another World Cup trophy, their 2022 pay equity settlement with the U.S. Soccer Federation serves as a good reminder that winning in the court of public opinion can be more powerful than a victory inside the courtroom, says Hector Valle at Vianovo.

  • Parsing Through The FTC's Proposed Health Privacy Updates

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    The Federal Trade Commission's recently proposed updates to its Health Breach Notification Rule contain subtle but significant changes to key terms that help modernize the agency's health app regulation and provide stakeholders an important opportunity to help shape the future of virtual health care, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

  • 3 Service Provider Considerations For NTIA Broadband Fund

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    Internet service providers seeking funding through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration's broadband deployment program should begin in earnest identifying areas of interest for funding and challenges so that they are prepared to submit initial proposals before the December deadline, say ​​​​​​​attorneys at Davis Wright.

  • Regulating AI: Litigation Questions And State Efforts To Watch

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    In view of the developing legal and regulatory framework for artificial intelligence systems in the U.S., including state legislation and early federal litigation, there are practical takeaways as we look toward the future, says Jennifer Maisel at Rothwell Figg.

  • Regulating AI: An Overview Of Federal Efforts

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    The U.S. has been carefully managing a national policy and regulatory ecosystem toward artificial intelligence, but as AI technology continues to expand into our everyday lives, so too has its risks and the need for regulation, says Jennifer Maisel at Rothwell Figg.

  • Perspectives

    Mallory Gives Plaintiffs A Better Shot At Justice

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    Critics of the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Mallory v. Norfolk Southern claim it opens the door to litigation tourism, but the ruling simply gives plaintiffs more options — enabling them to seek justice against major corporations in the best possible court, say Rayna Kessler and Ethan Seidenberg at Robins Kaplan.

  • The Case For Quantifying The Impact Of 'Dark Patterns'

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    Recent lawsuits alleging that Amazon and Audible used so-called dark patterns to deceive customers show that federal agencies and consumers are actively challenging such conduct, and quantifying its impact on purchase decisions is an important step toward using an evidence-based approach for determining the appropriate level of deterrence, say economists at Brattle.

  • Courts Can Overturn Deficient State Regulations, Too

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    While suits challenging federal regulations have become commonplace, such cases against state agencies are virtually nonexistent, but many states have provisions that allow litigants to bring suit for regulations with inadequate cost-benefit analyses, says Reeve Bull at the Virginia Office of Regulatory Management.

  • Keep Up With Telemarketing Compliance: State Law Roundup

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    As more states enact mini-Telephone Consumer Protection Acts to seemingly fill the "autodialer" void left by the U.S. Supreme Court's Facebook v. Duguid ruling, compliance will become a difficult game of whack-a-mole — some of the laws regulate equipment, while others restrict to whom calls can be made, and more, say attorneys at Blank Rome.

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