Wednesday, November 28, 6:00 – 8:15 p.m.

Covering the Spectrum: An Essential Primer for Lawyers

The FCBA Engineering and Technical Committee will hold a CLE on Wednesday, November 28, 2012 from 6:00 – 8:15 p.m. on Covering the Spectrum: An Essential Primer for Lawyers.  This program will be held at a location to be determined in Washington, DC.

As they say in Zoolander, spectrum is so hot right now. As we are becoming a society increasingly reliant on mobile devices, the once-esoteric topic of spectrum reform and regulation has suddenly become front-page news. From incentive auctions to Lightsquared, issues related to spectrum management are a big deal in Washington, and big business for communications attorneys. In this top-level primer on spectrum, we will examine both the biggest policy and engineering topics involving spectrum today. The panels will feature both experienced lawyers and engineers. And rather than a screaming match about the legitimacy of any industry's particular position, we hope this CLE will be more informative and give you the basic tools you need to engage in this exciting arena. We'll save the food fights for the brown bags. This CLE should be seen as essential for any young communications attorney, but experienced attorneys should definitely consider it as well.

AGENDA

6:00 – 6:05 p.m.         Welcome and Introductions

Scott Goodwin, Co-Chair, FCBA Engineering and Technical Practice Committee

6:05 – 7:00 p.m.         Techies Speak to Non-Techies – Engineering Primer on Spectrum

In this first panel, we feature a host of top-notch engineering minds to help teach us some of the foundational scientific principles behind spectrum management. The discussion will focus on issues related to interference, traffic management, how the government uses spectrum, spectrum sharing and more. We may even talk about Shannon’s Law – if you’re lucky.

7:00 – 7:10 p.m.         Break

7:10 – 8:15 p.m.         The Legal and Political Landscape for Spectrum – History and Predictions

During this second panel, legal and policy gurus will tackle the hottest topics in spectrum management, including a broad and basic discussion of how spectrum has been managed through the ages (or, at least the last 30 years).