GOP Asks Justices To Lift Block In Campaign Ad Pricing Case

By Katie Buehler

Republican fundraising committees have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to lift a Fourth Circuit order blocking the Federal Communications Commission from extending discounted television and radio advertising rates to committees that buy spots in coordination with political candidates, arguing the lower court prematurely jumped into the review process.

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Mass. Police Department Opposes FCC Drone Restriction

By Nadia Dreid

A Massachusetts police chief is asking the Federal Communications Commission to reconsider banning people from buying foreign-made military-grade drones, saying law enforcement can use them to find missing people much more quickly than human search groups.

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Webinar Site Says Recorded Meetings Were Public

By Aneeta Mathur-Ashton

A webinar site accused of secretly recording and posting private videoconferences online for profit told a California federal court Friday the "dissonance" required to assume the meetings are private is enough to end the proposed class action.

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How Did Litigants Fare In Judge Albright's 55 Patent Trials?

By Dani Kass

U.S. District Judge Alan Albright oversaw more than 50 patent trials between his 2018 arrival on the bench and planned Monday departure, and in a surprise for many attorneys, there was a near-even split between victories for patent owners and accused infringers.

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Brief

FCC Names New Enforcement Bureau Chief

By Christopher Cole

The Federal Communications Commission has named Hunter Deeley as its new Enforcement Bureau chief.

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'Reality Check' Needed For E-Rate, Says Ex-FCC Commish

By Christopher Cole

A former member of the Federal Communications Commission pushed Monday for a complete review of the E-Rate program for school and library telecom discounts, asking if instead of helping students learn, it's "doing harm."

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House Passes Bill To Curb Secret Prosecutor Orders

By Courtney Bublé

The House passed a bipartisan bill via voice vote Monday afternoon to add transparency to prosecutors' use of nondisclosure orders for telephone service providers.

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Oregon Says Lifeline Integrity 'Robust' As FCC Probe Ensues

By Christopher Cole

Oregon told the Federal Communications Commission that its Lifeline phone subsidy program has shown low error rates as the FCC probes state programs that have opted out of a federal system to verify enrollees.

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Fiber, Labor Shortages Spur Call To Delay Rural Connections

By Aneeta Mathur-Ashton

Broadband providers have reiterated their call for a one-year extension of the Federal Communications Commission's deadline to complete projects under a rural funding program, citing increasing fiber scarcity and the ongoing skilled labor shortage.

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Brief

FCC Fines Undersea Cable Cos. For Expired Landing Licenses

By Nadia Dreid

The Federal Communications Commission inked a deal with a submarine cable company and its three co-licensees to end an investigation into their failure to renew their licenses on time, with the quartet agreeing to split a $45,000 fine.

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Fed. Circ. Affirms Samsung Didn't Infringe Mobile Tech Patent

By Elliot Weld

The Federal Circuit on Monday upheld a lower court's decision to deny a new trial in a case accusing Samsung of infringing a mobile device technology patent, saying Samsung had shown "ample" evidence cutting against infringement.

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AT&T Shouldn't Face Pension Risk Transfer Suit, Judge Says

By Grace Elletson

A Massachusetts federal judge said Monday that AT&T should be cut loose from a suit brought by retirees who claimed the company brokered a risky $8 billion pension annuity deal, adding that the investment manager that chose the annuity provider can't fully avoid the suit.

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Law Firm's Calif. Claims Stayed Over AI Comms Co.'s NY Suit

By Andrea Keckley

A California federal judge ruled that AI communications company Connex One cannot escape claims brought by a personal injury law firm alleging it faced harassment and threats of litigation after it declined to renew their contract, saying the case will be stayed until a New York lawsuit brought by Connex against the firm runs its course.

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AGs, WGA Slam Paramount's Bid For $1.9B Merger Suit Bond

By Lauren Berg

The Writers Guild of America and Democratic attorneys general urged a California federal judge Monday to reject Paramount Skydance Corp.'s bid to make them put up a $1.9 billion bond, saying it was the studio's idea to pause closing its planned $110 billion purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery.

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Ex-Clifford Chance Attys Fight Bid To Toss Clawback Suit

By Ryan Boysen

The two partners facing a $6 million clawback demand by Clifford Chance LLP have again asked a federal judge to decide whether English or New York law should govern the arbitration, claiming the firm's partnership agreement is unclear.

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New Report Rings Alarm On Threats To Judicial Independence

By Jack Karp

Verbal attacks on judges, disinformation about the courts and the defiance of court orders are undermining the independence of the federal judiciary and significantly affecting individual judges' ability to do their jobs, a report out Monday says.

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Roundup

Defamation Litigation Roundup: NYT, J&J, Azerbaijan

By Theresa Schliep

In this month's review of defamation fights, Law360 details a jury verdict against The New York Times in a suit involving its reporting on a shooting in Alabama, and highlights a judge's decision to spare researchers from a suit by a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary over their talc research.

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Brief

House Passes Bill Adding Texas, California Court Sites

By Courtney Bublé

The House voted 378-10 on Monday evening to expand access to federal courts in Texas and California, the two most populous states in the nation.

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Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

By Jarek Rutz

The Delaware Chancery Court this past week saw disputes over a $200 million federal grant, a $1.7 billion software take-private deal, the ouster of Better.com founder Vishal Garg and a proposed $4 million settlement stemming from an electric vehicle company's SPAC merger.

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Roundup

Hub Hires: MassBar, Kirkland, Troutman

By Chris Villani

Massachusetts' legal landscape saw a sizzling summer finish, with several major firms making hires. Kirkland added a veteran white collar defense attorney, Troutman bolstered its real estate team and Day Pitney nabbed an experienced corporate attorney.

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