Telecommunications

  • 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.

  • April 25, 2024

    Delta Illegally Shares Fliers' Info With Facebook, Suit Says

    Delta Air Lines Inc. was hit with a proposed class action lodged Thursday in California state court by two customers who accused it of unlawfully sharing their personal information with Facebook, including their travel dates, airport destinations, travel class, loyalty status, language and currency used to book flights on the airline's website.

  • April 25, 2024

    Privacy Hawks Plot What's Next After FISA Passage

    After the Senate sent a bill renewing the controversial warrantless foreign surveillance law to the president's desk on Saturday, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., a staunch privacy advocate and one of the 34 senators to vote against it, said, "I'm not giving up."

  • April 25, 2024

    Standard General Claims Racial Bias By FCC In Tegna Deal

    Hedge fund manager Soo Kim is suing the Federal Communications Commission and a cadre of media players over what he calls a racially charged conspiracy to block his fund's $8.6 billion purchase of media company Tegna, claiming the agency discriminated against him when it sidelined the deal last year.

  • April 25, 2024

    FCC Proposes Local Georouting For 988 Calls

    The Federal Communications Commission proposed Thursday to introduce geolocation for calls made to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, which would ensure that the calls are routed to a local crisis center instead of one in another city or state.

  • April 25, 2024

    T-Mobile, EQT Form Joint Venture To Acquire Fiber Biz

    T-Mobile and private equity shop EQT on Thursday announced that they have entered into a joint venture, under which T-Mobile will invest $950 million at closing, to purchase fiber-to-the-home platform Lumos from one of EQT's previous infrastructure funds, in a deal built by at least three firms.

  • April 25, 2024

    DOD Unblocks Cohen Seglias From Emails Following Lawsuit

    Cohen Seglias Pallas Greenhall & Furman PC on Thursday dropped its lawsuit against the Defense Information Systems Agency after the agency acknowledged it mistakenly flagged the firm for malware and blocked it from government emails, the firm's attorney told Law360.

  • April 25, 2024

    Wellstar Sent Meta Patient Data Without Consent, Suit Alleges

    Wellstar Health System Inc. was hit with a proposed class action in Georgia federal court, with a patient alleging the confidential health information of "millions" was shared with Meta Platform Inc. without consent after Wellstar installed the company's tracking and collection tools on its website and patient portal.

  • April 25, 2024

    FCC Restores Net Neutrality Rules In Party-Line Vote

    The Federal Communications Commission voted 3-2 on party lines Thursday to bring back the Obama-era net neutrality regime by reclassifying broadband service under the Communications Act and making it subject to common carrier telecom rules.

  • April 24, 2024

    Class Attys Seek $218M Fee Award In Google 'Incognito' Deal

    Attorneys from three firms urged a California federal judge to award them $217.6 million in fees after reaching a settlement with Google in which the search giant agreed to delete billions of data records related to users' private browsing activities, with a Google representative blasting the fee bid as an attempt to "line their own pockets."

  • April 24, 2024

    FCC OKs Detroit TV Deal — If Certain Conditions Are Met

    The Federal Communications Commission approved the $75 million sale of a Michigan-based television station to Mission Broadcasting, but conditioned the sale on terms meant to ensure that Nexstar, the country's largest TV station group owner, does not have de facto control of the station.

  • April 24, 2024

    NFL Can't Tell Jurors Attys Fueled Sunday Ticket Suit

    With an antitrust trial in long-running multidistrict litigation between the NFL and DirecTV subscribers over the league's Sunday Ticket football package set to kick off this summer, the judge overseeing the case is laying down the law about what can and can't be told to the jury.

  • April 24, 2024

    Pacifica Will Pay $25K For Station Ad Violations, FCC Says

    Pacifica Foundation Inc. has agreed to pay a $25,000 fine and enter into a compliance plan to resolve allegations that it allowed an iconic New York public radio station to air several shows promoting products without identifying the program sponsors.

  • April 24, 2024

    DOJ Wants To Weigh In On Texas Google Ad Tech Discovery

    The U.S. Department of Justice asked a federal judge Wednesday for permission to file a statement of interest in a Texas-led lawsuit accusing Google of anticompetitive conduct in the display advertising market, writing that the states' request for certain discovery items may violate an order in a substantially similar suit the DOJ is pursuing in Virginia.

  • April 24, 2024

    TikTok To Take Divestment Bill To Court

    TikTok vowed on Wednesday to challenge in court new legislation requiring ByteDance Ltd. to divest the popular social media app or face a ban in the U.S., a pledge made the same day President Biden signed the measure into law.

  • April 24, 2024

    'Net Neutrality' Timeline: From Brand X To Biden-Era Brawl

    The legal fight over how to treat broadband service hits a new milestone Thursday in Washington, the latest in a dispute that started a generation ago, soon after consumers began widely using the internet in the 1990s.

  • April 24, 2024

    Congress Didn't OK FCC's 'Disparate Impact' Ban, Critics Say

    Business groups told the Eighth Circuit on Wednesday that the Federal Communications Commission's new rules against discrimination in broadband deployment should be overturned because Congress never intended that the agency use a sweeping "disparate impact" liability standard.

  • April 24, 2024

    Group Fights SpaceX's FCC Grants After Musk's Actions In War

    A pro-Ukraine nonprofit is urging the Federal Communications Commission to halt spectrum assignments to Elon Musk's SpaceX and launch an investigation into the CEO's "erratic" behavior, arguing that his alleged meddling in U.S. foreign policy could disqualify him from exercising control over the company's Starlink satellite network system.

  • April 24, 2024

    Noteholders Say Chilean Telecom Lacks US Ties For Ch. 11

    A group of WOM SA noteholders asked a Delaware bankruptcy judge to dismiss the Chilean cellphone network operator's Chapter 11 case, saying the company has no connections with the United States and courts here don't have jurisdiction over the company's assets.

  • April 23, 2024

    10th Circ. Orders Redo Of $96M Award After Top Court Ruling

    The Tenth Circuit on Tuesday ordered an Oklahoma federal court to recalculate a $96 million trademark infringement award won by a radio control maker against its European former partners after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last year that the Lanham Act applies only to domestic conduct in commerce.

  • April 23, 2024

    New Ga. Law Restricts Social Media Use For Youth Under 16

    A bill signed into law Tuesday by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp imposes new restrictions on minors' internet usage, including requiring social media companies to verify that users are 16 or older unless they receive approval from an individual's parents to use the service.

  • April 23, 2024

    TikTok Divestment Bill Heads To Biden's Desk

    The Senate voted 79-18 on Tuesday night to pass a bill requiring ByteDance Ltd. to divest the popular social media app TikTok or face a ban in the U.S., which now goes to the president's desk.

  • April 23, 2024

    Small Providers Can't Meet 'Vague' Title II Rules, FCC Hears

    Small broadband providers will need at least a six-month buffer before they have to start complying with certain net neutrality mandates, should the Federal Communications Commission vote to restore open internet rules on Thursday, according to a communications industry trade group.

  • April 23, 2024

    ACLU Backs States' Power To Preempt Feds' Net Neutrality

    The ACLU is a supporter of the Federal Communications Commission's plans to usher in a new era of net neutrality later this month, but the civil rights organization is also pressing the agency to make sure that states are free to enact stricter open internet protections if they see fit.

  • April 23, 2024

    Nexstar Calls FCC's Floated $1.2M Fine Over WPIX 'Unlawful'

    Broadcast giant Nexstar slammed the Federal Communications Commission's proposed $1.2 million penalty over its "de facto control" of New York station WPIX, saying the fine is unconstitutional and that the agency is running afoul of both the Communications Act and procedural law.

Expert Analysis

  • EU GDPR Ruling Reiterates Relative Nature Of 'Personal Data'

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    The Court of Justice of the European Union recently confirmed in Gesamtverband v. Scania that vehicle identification number data can be processed under the General Data Protection Regulation, illustrating that the same dataset may be considered "personal data" for one party, but not another, which suggests a less expansive definition of the term, say lawyers at Van Bael.

  • 7 Enforcement Predictions For US Export Controls, Sanctions

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    Federal agencies' assertions of coming increases in export-control and sanctions-violations enforcement are not new, but recent improvements in resources and inter-agency cooperation allow for certain predictions about how the administration’s latest approach to enforcement may be applied going forward, say attorneys at Akin.

  • Series

    ESG Around The World: Singapore

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    Singapore is keen to establish itself as a leading international financial center and a key player in the sustainable finance ecosystem, and key initiatives led by its government and other regulatory bodies have helped the Asian nation progress from its initially guarded attitude toward ESG investment and reporting, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Series

    The Pop Culture Docket: Judge D'Emic On Moby Grape

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    The 1968 Moby Grape song "Murder in My Heart for the Judge" tells the tale of a fictional defendant treated with scorn by the judge, illustrating how much the legal system has evolved in the past 50 years, largely due to problem-solving courts and the principles of procedural justice, says Kings County Supreme Court Administrative Judge Matthew D'Emic.

  • Series

    Performing Music Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    The discipline of performing live music has directly and positively influenced my effectiveness as a litigator — serving as a reminder that practice, intuition and team building are all important elements of a successful law practice, says Jeff Wakolbinger at Bryan Cave.

  • Breaking Down High Court's New Code Of Conduct

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    The U.S. Supreme Court recently adopted its first-ever code of conduct, and counsel will need to work closely with clients in navigating its provisions, from gift-giving to recusal bids, say Phillip Gordon and Mateo Forero at Holtzman Vogel.

  • 7 Critical Copyright And AI Questions Courts Need To Address

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    U.S. courts have yet to rule on many copyright issues regarding generative artificial intelligence technologies, so developers and users should consider several questions when evaluating risks, developing risk mitigation plans and making decisions about particular use cases, say John Delaney and Sean West at Perkins Coie.

  • Opinion

    Legal Profession Gender Parity Requires Equal Parental Leave

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    To truly foster equity in the legal profession and to promote attorney retention, workplaces need to better support all parents, regardless of gender — starting by offering equal and robust parental leave to both birthing and non-birthing parents, says Ali Spindler at Irwin Fritchie.

  • FCC Notice Of Inquiry Highlights AI Robocall Concerns

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    The Federal Communications Commission recently released a notice of inquiry seeking comment on the implications of emerging artificial intelligence technologies on robocalls and robotexts, raising questions around its authority to address AI under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, say Aaron Weiss and Samantha Goldstein at Carlton Fields.

  • How FinCEN's Proposed Rule Stirs The Pot On Crypto Mixing

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    The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network’s recently issued proposal aims to impose additional reporting requirements to mitigate the risks posed by convertible virtual currency mixing transactions, meaning financial institutions may need new monitoring techniques to detect CVC mixing beyond just exposure, say Jared Johnson and Jordan Yeagley at Buchanan Ingersoll.

  • Series

    Writing Thriller Novels Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Authoring several thriller novels has enriched my work by providing a fresh perspective on my privacy practice, expanding my knowledge, and keeping me alert to the next wave of issues in an increasingly complex space — a reminder to all lawyers that extracurricular activities can help sharpen professional instincts, says Reece Hirsch at Morgan Lewis.

  • What Lawyers Must Know About Calif. State Bar's AI Guidance

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    Initial recommendations from the State Bar of California regarding use of generative artificial intelligence by lawyers have the potential to become a useful set of guidelines in the industry, covering confidentiality, supervision and training, communications, discrimination and more, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Industry Must Elevate Native American Women Attys' Stories

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    The American Bar Association's recent research study into Native American women attorneys' experiences in the legal industry reveals the glacial pace of progress, and should inform efforts to amplify Native voices in the field, says Mary Smith, president of the ABA.

  • Understanding Discovery Obligations In Era Of Generative AI

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Attorneys and businesses must adapt to the unique discovery challenges presented by generative artificial intelligence, such as chatbot content and prompts, while upholding the principles of fairness, transparency and compliance with legal obligations in federal civil litigation, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

  • Chancery's 'Unfair Deal, Fair Price' Ruling Part Of A Trend

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    The Delaware Court of Chancery's recent decision in In re: Straight Path Communications is the latest in a line of recent post-trial rulings by the court that seem to prioritize a fair price in determining damage awards — even when a transaction has been clouded by an unfair process, say attorneys at V&E.

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