January 6, 2022 @1:00pm - 2:30pm

90 min

Telecommunications: Key Legal Issues: From Preliminary Assessment Through Detailed Project Planning

Speakers: Jim Baller, Sean Stokes, Casey Lide, Tracy Marshall & Wes Wright

In this two-part presentation, lawyers from Keller and Heckman LLP will address the critical legal and regulatory issues that public broadband initiatives and partnerships typically encounter at each stage of a project from initial opportunity assessment to ongoing operation and regulatory compliance.  They will focus on authority issues; federal and state funding opportunities; infrastructure challenges (rights-of-way, easements, franchises, pole attachments, wireless matters, etc.); and access to customers, content, and services.  This presentation will also discuss telephony issues (including 911); organizational and governance issues; and partnerships.  Part 2 is scheduled for February 8, 2022.

Jim Baller represents clients across the U.S. in a broad range of communications matters, including public broadband initiatives, public-private broadband partnerships, barriers to community broadband, federal and state regulatory compliance, wireless matters, right-of-way management, and pole and conduit attachments.

Sean Stokes represents clients on a wide range of communications matters including broadband, cable television, wireless communications, right-of-way management, pole attachments, barriers to community broadband initiatives, and public-private partnerships. He has developed and negotiated scores of agreements involving access to poles, ducts, conduits, dark fiber, towers, and other infrastructure.

Casey Lide advises and represents public- and private-sector clients on contract drafting and negotiation matters, including fiber optic IRUs and leases, easements, franchises, attachment agreements, ISP service agreements, interconnection and collocation agreements, strategic MoUs and others. He also helps clients identify, apply for, implement, and comply with the terms and conditions of federal grants, loans, and other funding opportunities.

Tracy Marshall advises clients on a range of regulatory matters, including privacy and data security, advertising and promotions, telemarketing, and intellectual property matters, as well as business counseling and transactional matters. She helps clients implement privacy, information security, and security breach response programs, develop privacy policies for websites and mobile apps, and respond to security incidents.

Wes Wright counsels and represents clients on compliance issues related to telecommunications service provider and VoIP regulations, state tariff requirements, private wireless licensing, 911 reliability and call handling, customer proprietary network information, the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act, and other related obligations. He is a recognized expert on the FCC’s wireless spectrum and tower siting rules.