Telecommunications

  • April 08, 2024

    DirecTV Questions FCC Legal Authority For New Rules

    DirecTV said the Federal Communications Commission is relying on a faulty interpretation of the Communications Act to justify imposing rules that would block early termination fees for satellite service and require rebates for TV program blackouts during carriage disputes.

  • April 08, 2024

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    Last week, a much-watched Chancery Court Match.com decision got reversed, a Philip Morris motion got stubbed out, and a long-frozen Blue Bell Creameries suit started churning again. Delaware's Court of Chancery also saw new suits filed for legal fees, arguments over multibillion-dollar pay packages, and a judge flummoxed over Truth Social.

  • April 08, 2024

    AT&T Seeks Justices' Review Of 9th Circ. 401(k) Suit Revival

    AT&T has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review a Ninth Circuit decision reviving retirement plan mismanagement claims against the telecom giant, arguing that a panel defied court precedent and deepened a circuit split with its ruling knocking out AT&T's summary judgment win.

  • April 08, 2024

    Key Congressional Leaders Float Sweeping Data Privacy Bill

    The heads of the U.S. Senate and House commerce committees have taken a major step toward enacting a comprehensive federal consumer data privacy framework, reaching a long-awaited deal on proposed legislation that would minimize the personal data companies can gather, allow consumers to bring lawsuits and eliminate a growing patchwork of state laws.

  • April 05, 2024

    COVID App Takes Another Shot At Apple With Justices

    App developers are again seeking U.S. Supreme Court intervention against the Ninth Circuit's refusal to revive antitrust allegations over Apple's rejection of COVID-19-tracking and bitcoin apps, decrying "fundamental error" lower courts made misreading pleading requirements, proffered market definition and more.

  • April 05, 2024

    Top 3 Groups Lobbying The FCC

    The Federal Communications Commission heard from policy advocates more than 200 times in March, as the agency fielded concerns on net neutrality rules, bulk billing for internet service, broadband deployment, school connectivity and more.

  • April 07, 2024

    7th Circ. Won't Save Hytera From 'Self-Inflicted' Wounds

    A Seventh Circuit panel this weekend said Hytera Communications could not be trusted after it filed a Chinese lawsuit behind an Illinois court's back and brought a $1 million daily fine upon itself, as a federal judge said she needed written proof that a Chinese court had really dismissed the suit.

  • April 05, 2024

    Where Will 10 Private IPhone Suits Call Home, Calif. or NJ?

    Two different groups of consumers are pushing competing visions for where they want to pursue claims that Apple tried to lock in iPhone users, with one case first filed in California seeking transfer to New Jersey while a second group sought consolidation of all private lawsuits in the Golden State.

  • April 05, 2024

    Meta Looks To Nix FTC's Antitrust Case Over Acquisitions

    Meta Platforms urged a D.C. federal court on Friday to toss the Federal Trade Commission's antitrust case against it, saying the agency has found no evidence showing its acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp hurt competition or consumers.

  • April 05, 2024

    Alabama Station Wins Carriage Fight With Dish At FCC

    An Alabama TV station won a Federal Communications Commission ruling against Dish Network, forcing Dish to carry the station throughout the Columbus, Georgia, and Opelika, Alabama, markets after the satellite provider initially refused.

  • April 05, 2024

    CEO Of Chilean Telecom Co. WOM Leaves Days After Ch. 11

    One of Chile's largest cellphone operators WOM SA has replaced its CEO days after it filed for bankruptcy in Delaware, the company announced, with the ousted executive alleging shareholders at the company failed to deliver on new sources of funding promised last fall.

  • April 05, 2024

    FCC Says Carrier Must Kill Tax Relief Scam Robocalls

    The Federal Communications Commission says it's doing some spring-cleaning and will be clearing out entities supporting clients that make illegal robocalls, starting with a company that has been allowing a client to send out some 15 million calls about a fake tax relief program.

  • April 05, 2024

    NC County School Board Joins Chorus Saying Apps Harm Youth

    The Board of Education in Wake County, North Carolina, on Friday joined the ranks of school systems suing Meta, Snapchat, TikTok and other social media companies, accusing them of stoking addiction in young users and saddling taxpayers with the cost.

  • April 05, 2024

    Microsoft, Others Can Weigh In On Epic, Apple App Store Row

    A California federal judge allowed Microsoft, X Corp., Meta Platforms, Spotify and other major app developers to file amicus briefs in Epic Games' effort to convince the court that Apple is not complying with an order barring it from using anti-steering rules in its App Store.

  • April 05, 2024

    Solar Company Hit With TCPA Suit After $13.8M FTC Fine

    Months after the Federal Trade Commission slapped lead generation firm Solar Xchange with a $13.8 million fine for sending out millions of pestering calls to people on the National Do-Not-Call Registry, one recipient of those calls has filed suit in Massachusetts federal court to seek his own recompense.

  • April 05, 2024

    Sprint's $4.5M Nextel Trademark Win Upheld At 11th Circ.

    Sprint Communications Inc. maintained a trademark on its line of walkie-talkie devices and deserved a $4.5 million jury award against an imitator for its unlawful use of the device name and distinctive "chirp" noise, according to an Eleventh Circuit panel ruling.

  • April 05, 2024

    Judicial Nominees On Schumer's Post-Recess To-Do List

    Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., laid out on Friday a busy agenda for when Congress returns next week, which includes confirming the president's judicial nominees.

  • April 05, 2024

    National Association Of Broadcasters Hires New Deputy GC

    The National Association of Broadcasters has hired a former Baker McKenzie partner and Federal Trade Commission attorney to serve as its new deputy general counsel, the group announced Thursday.

  • April 04, 2024

    Charter Says Nonprofit's Fight Over Sealed Docs Is Too Late

    Charter Communications Inc. is disputing the Electronic Frontier Foundation's attempt to persuade a Texas federal court to unseal filings in a patent suit against the cable company over data transmission that settled late last year.

  • April 04, 2024

    FCC Refuses To Restore Pa. Felon's FM Radio License

    The Federal Communications Commission has denied a Pennsylvania man's request to restore his radio license after he pled guilty to using a hidden camera to take and send nude photos of a woman.

  • April 04, 2024

    'Halfhearted' Hytera Filings Not Enough To Lift Hefty Sanctions

    Hytera Communications' daily $1 million fine and other sanctions for violating an Illinois federal judge's anti-suit injunction stayed in place Thursday as she ordered the company to submit a fourth, more "meaningful" request in China to halt a lawsuit it lodged against Motorola Solutions.

  • April 04, 2024

    ISP Tells FCC Bulk Billing Deals Are Pro-Consumer

    An internet service provider is trying to convince the Federal Communications Commission that banning bulk billing in apartment buildings is not the way to go and that the arrangements are actually a "key tool for closing the digital divide."

  • April 04, 2024

    Texts Were Intentionally Deleted In Hotel Suit, Investors Say

    Two investors have urged a Florida state court to impose severe penalties on the managers of a hotel enterprise after WhatsApp text messages in a $15 million lawsuit were allegedly deleted intentionally, saying the communications were critical to proving that their equity interests were wrongly taken from them.

  • April 04, 2024

    FCC's Net Neutrality Plan Leaves Network 'Slicing' Uncategorized

    The Federal Communications Commission will not automatically apply net neutrality rules to 5G mobile network "slices" when a plan to reimpose the rules on broadband service comes up for an agency vote later this month, but also said slices cannot be used to evade the regulations.

  • April 04, 2024

    Broadband Providers Won't Pay Into Telecom Subsidy Fund

    Broadband providers will not have to pay into the Federal Communications Commission's subsidy system even after being categorized as a telecom service under the FCC's net neutrality plan that was released Thursday.

Expert Analysis

  • The Scope Of Challenged Claims After Fed. Circ. Sisvel Ruling

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    Joshua Weisenfeld at Sheppard Mullin considers the Federal Circuit's recent Sisvel v. Sierra decision and its impact on claim construction and post-issuance claim amendments that broaden the scope of challenged claims.

  • Tips For Avoiding Disputes From M&A Earnout Provisions

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    Attorneys at Freshfields review key Delaware cases to outline several important considerations that may reduce the risk of an earnout dispute arising from a merger agreement and help the parties navigate disputes when they do occur.

  • A Look At Successful Bid Protests In FY 2023

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    Attorneys at Sheppard Mullin look beyond the statistics in the U.S. Government Accountability Office’s recent annual report on bid protests, sharing their insights about nine categories of sustained protests, gained from reading every fiscal year 2023 decision in which the protester had a positive result.

  • Trending At The PTAB: Administrative Procedure

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    A pair of recent Federal Circuit rulings on Patent Trial and Appeal Board inter partes review shed light on applications of the Administrative Procedure Act, adding to an ever-growing body of case law showing the board's final written decision must be based on arguments clearly put forth by the parties, say Robert High and Benjamin Saidman at Finnegan.

  • Retailers: Beware Legislator And Regulator Junk Fee Focus

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    In light of the Biden administration’s recent focus on restricting so-called junk fee surcharges across industries, attorneys at Benesch discuss what retailers should know about several evolving developments, including a new California law, a proposed Federal Trade Commission rule, an expanding litigation landscape, and more.

  • Navigating Discovery Of Generative AI Information

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    As generative artificial intelligence tools become increasingly ubiquitous, companies must make sure to preserve generative AI data when there is reasonable expectation of litigation, and to include transcripts in litigation hold notices, as they may be relevant to discovery requests, say Nick Peterson and Corey Hauser at Wiley.

  • Finding Focus: Strategies For Attorneys With ADHD

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    Given the prevalence of ADHD among attorneys, it is imperative that the legal community gain a better understanding of how ADHD affects well-being, and that resources and strategies exist for attorneys with this disability to manage their symptoms and achieve success, say Casey Dixon at Dixon Life Coaching and Krista Larson at Stinson.

  • Takeaways From Iran Missile Procurement Advisory

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    Companies should familiarize themselves with the entities and practices highlighted in the recent multiagency Iran Ballistic Missile Procurement Advisory, to avoid falling prey to deceptive practices that help bad actors evade sanctions, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

  • Safe-Harbor Period Change Could Hinder TCPA Compliance

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    A proposed rule change under consideration by the Federal Communications Commission would require businesses to honor do-not-call requests within 24 hours of receipt for calls and texts that are subject to the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, and companies have already called it unreasonable, say Aaron Weiss and Danny Enjamio at Carlton Fields.

  • Cos. Must Address Growing Chatbot Class Action Risk

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    Following a new wave of chatbot-related consumer data privacy litigation and expanding compliance obligations created by state legislatures, businesses using such technology face a high-risk environment for wiretapping allegations, with inconsistent court rulings to date and uncertain legal holdings ahead, say attorneys at Pierce Atwood.

  • Attorneys, Law Schools Must Adapt To New Era Of Evidence

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    Technological advancements mean more direct evidence is being created than ever before, and attorneys as well as law schools must modify their methods to account for new challenges in how this evidence is collected and used to try cases, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • 5 Telecom Issues To Watch Amid FCC Broadband Proposal

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    The Federal Communications Commission's recent proposal to restore net neutrality rules and reassert its regulatory authority over broadband providers is likely to spark debate over certain issues, including privacy rules and questions surrounding the commission's legal authority, says Matthew DelNero at Covington.

  • Series

    ESG Around The World: The UK

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    Following Brexit, the U.K. has adopted a different approach to regulating environmental, social and governance factors from the European Union — an approach that focuses on climate disclosures by U.K.-regulated entities, while steering clear of the more ambitious objectives pursued by the EU, say attorneys at Dechert.

  • Tips For Litigating Against Pro Se Parties In Complex Disputes

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    Litigating against self-represented parties in complex cases can pose unique challenges for attorneys, but for the most part, it requires the same skills that are useful in other cases — from documenting everything to understanding one’s ethical duties, says Bryan Ketroser at Alto Litigation.

  • Opinion

    Test Results Signal Poor Odds For Lead Cables Litigation

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    After sites in New York and New Jersey allegedly contaminated with lead by telecommunications cables were found by state and federal agencies to present no imminent threats to public health, it seems unlikely that mass litigation over this issue by plaintiffs firms or state attorneys general will succeed, says Andrew Ketterer at Ketterer & Ketterer.

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