Telecommunications

  • December 05, 2023

    FCC Seeks $22M In Fines For Rural Deployment Defaults

    The Federal Communications Commission says two broadband providers have backed out of their bids to provide internet to more than 7,000 census blocks with Rural Digital Opportunity Funds, and it now plans to fine them $22.4 million.

  • December 05, 2023

    7th Circ. Signals Issue With $540M Motorola Trade Secret Win

    Seventh Circuit judges reviewing Motorola's $540 million win in a mobile radio trade secret case suggested Tuesday part of the verdict might come undone, with one judge saying the calculation of foreign sales was a thorny problem in the case. 

  • December 05, 2023

    NTIA Head Calls Opening Gov't Spectrum 'A Hard Assignment'

    The head of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration once again called for Congress to increase funding for the Federal Communications Commission's Affordable Connectivity Program, and tried to temper expectations of how quickly the NTIA might open up government-used spectrum, in a congressional hearing on Tuesday.

  • December 05, 2023

    Trade Group Says About Time FCC Hikes Broadband Speeds

    Network trade group Incompas is throwing its weight behind the Federal Communications Commission's plan to hike the upload and download speeds required to qualify as broadband service, with the eventual goal of getting the download speed all the way to 1 gigabit from the current 25 megabits per second.

  • December 05, 2023

    Sens. Urge FCC To Hasten Opening Of 12 GHz Band

    Two U.S. senators called on the Federal Communications Commission to push through new rules opening the 12 gigahertz airwaves for fixed broadband use as long as it doesn't disrupt the band's incumbent users.

  • December 05, 2023

    SoftBank Nabs €473M Majority Stake In Vehicle Software Biz

    Telecommunications and IT operator SoftBank Corp. on Tuesday announced it has snagged a majority stake in Cubic Telecom Ltd., which provides software-defined connected vehicle solutions, for €473 million ($511.5 million) in a deal built by four firms.

  • December 05, 2023

    High Court Axes ADA Case But Says Issue Is 'Very Much Alive'

    The U.S. Supreme Court decided Tuesday that Acheson Hotels LLC's Americans with Disabilities Act appeal against a self-appointed "tester" is moot, finding the disabled litigant voluntarily dismissed her suit against the company, though the court said the issue of standing to sue over accessibility information on businesses' websites is "very much alive."

  • December 04, 2023

    FCC Overreaches In Broadband Availability Effort, Group Says

    The Federal Communications Commission remains too focused on justifying an expansion of government programs to fund broadband service when its own data shows high-speed internet deployment moving at a rapid clip across the country, a free-market group said.

  • December 04, 2023

    Disney Again Targets ESPN Streaming Bundles Suit

    Disney urged a California federal judge to nix a proposed antitrust class action targeting live-streaming carriage agreements forbidding ESPN's exclusion from cheap bundling packages, arguing that tweaks to the subscribers' suit can't save previously nixed damages claims and that the judge should've tossed the entirety of the suit.

  • December 04, 2023

    AT&T Says Faux Pine Antennas Can't Be Stopped

    AT&T is asking a Washington federal judge to force a city near the Oregon border to hand over permits needed to build a wireless cell tower, saying the local hearing examiner shouldn't have rejected its proposal for a 65-foot-tall utility pole disguised as a pine tree intended to fill a gap in service.

  • December 04, 2023

    Bipartisan Bill Would Expand Mental Health Care For Farmers

    Two U.S. lawmakers want to make it easier for rural Americans to receive telemedicine mental health services, specifically those in the farming, fishing and forestry industries, so they introduced a bill to direct the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to expand mental health care via remote technology.

  • December 04, 2023

    Google Says SC Agency Waived Immunity From Doc Request

    Google has told the Fourth Circuit a South Carolina agency needs to hand over documents about its digital advertising activity because the state waived its sovereign immunity by suing the company for allegedly monopolizing key digital advertising technology.

  • December 04, 2023

    FTC's Amazon Case Contains Fundamental Deficiencies

    The Federal Trade Commission is unlikely to succeed in its allegations that Amazon "uses its power to hike prices on American shoppers," because of deficiencies in the case that prove the agency's antitrust stance places competitors over consumer welfare, says attorney and former U.S. Department of Justice official Bruce Fein.

  • December 04, 2023

    FCC Agrees To Hold Off Rule On Engineer Certification

    The cable industry voiced relief Monday at a recent order by the Federal Communications Commission to delay enforcement of a rule requiring that only certain qualified professionals sign off on providers' broadband mapping data.

  • December 04, 2023

    Semiconductor Goals In Peril Sans Visa Fix For STEM Grads

    In the second of a three-part series focused on labor shortages, Law360 examines the types of immigration changes that will likely prove essential to President Joe Biden's ambitions to advance the U.S. as a global leader within the semiconductor industry.

  • December 01, 2023

    Judge Slams Google's 'Deeply Troubling' Tactics As Trial Ends

    A California federal judge overseeing the antitrust trial between Epic Games Inc. and Google LLC said Friday he's concerned that Google's willful destruction of evidence and "bogus" privilege assertions constitute a "frontal assault on the administration of justice," and that jury instructions in the newly wrapped trial will reflect the company's "deeply disturbing" behavior.

  • December 01, 2023

    Justices Call O'Connor 'American Hero,' 'Perfect Trailblazer'

    Following news of retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's death at the age of 93, current and former high court justices paid public homage to her trailblazing career, devotion to the rule of law and illuminating charisma.

  • December 01, 2023

    ​​​​​​​Top Groups Lobbying The FCC

    In November, the Federal Communications Commission heard from close to 200 companies and interest groups sharing their views on digital discrimination and media ownership rules, "SIM swap" fraud, the cost of pole attachments for fiber and more.

  • December 01, 2023

    Former Clerks Say Justice O'Connor Still Worth Emulating

    BigLaw attorneys mentored by former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who died Friday after a lengthy battle with dementia, say she'll be remembered as an incisive jurist who always put facts and practical considerations above abstract ideological commitments, as well as a deeply gracious and down-to-earth woman who never let her dedication to the law overshadow her zest for life.

  • December 01, 2023

    Boston Landowners Told To Quit Illegal Radio Operations

    Nine different landowners in the Boston area have been allowing illegal radio broadcasts from their property and could be hit with a fine of more than $2 million if they don't knock it off, the Federal Communications Commission announced.

  • December 01, 2023

    No 2.5 GHz Auction Licenses Until Congress Acts, FCC Says

    The Federal Communications Commission can't issue licenses for spectrum auctioned off in 2022 because Congress let its authority to do so lapse and even awarding an already-won license could open the agency up to criminal liability, the commission told an inquiring lawmaker.

  • December 01, 2023

    4 Decisions For Which Justice O'Connor Will Be Remembered

    Many of the hotly divided cases at the U.S. Supreme Court came down to Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, a central force on the bench whose savviness at striking compromises and taking a pragmatic approach to resolve disputes is on full display in four opinions.

  • December 01, 2023

    EU Cyber Resilience Act Moves Closer To Becoming Law

    The European Council and the European Parliament have reached a political agreement on the Cyber Resilience Act, which will introduce tougher rules for digital goods and services coming into the European Union.

  • December 01, 2023

    Justice O'Connor Shattered Barriers, Built Bridges

    A Southwestern cowgirl who will always be known as the first woman to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor inspired those around her with an indomitable work ethic, a deep affection for public service and an innate ability to drive consensus among her colleagues.

  • December 01, 2023

    UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

    This past week in London has seen Lenovo Group and LM Ericsson embroiled in a patent dispute, Jaguar Land Rover face legal action from a number of employees over contract breaches, and Dexia Credit file another swaps claim with property administrator Patrimonio del Trentino. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

Expert Analysis

  • 7 Critical Copyright And AI Questions Courts Need To Address

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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
    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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.

  • Kochava Ruling May Hint At Next Privacy Class Action Wave

    Author Photo

    The Southern District of California's recent ruling in Greenley v. Kochava and increasing complaints alleging that a consumer website is an illegal “pen register” due to the use of third-party marketing software tools foreshadow a new theory of liability for plaintiffs in privacy litigation, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • Series

    ESG Around The World: Mexico

    Author Photo

    ESG has yet to become part of the DNA of the Mexican business model, but huge strides are being made in that direction, as more stakeholders demand that companies adopt, at the least, a modicum of sustainability commitments and demonstrate how they will meet them, says Carlos Escoto at Galicia Abogados.

  • The Case For Post-Bar Clerk Training Programs At Law Firms

    Author Photo

    In today's competitive legal hiring market, an intentionally designed training program for law school graduates awaiting bar admission can be an effective way of creating a pipeline of qualified candidates, says Brent Daub at Gilson Daub.

  • Opinion

    A Telecom Attorney's Defense Of The Chevron Doctrine

    Author Photo

    The Chevron doctrine, which requires judicial deference to federal regulators, is under attack in two U.S. Supreme Court cases — and while most telecom attorneys likely agree that the Federal Communications Commission is guilty of overrelying on it, the problem is not the doctrine itself, says Carl Northrop at Telecommunications Law Professionals.

  • Attorneys Have An Ethical Duty To Protect The Judiciary

    Author Photo

    The tenor of public disagreement and debate has become increasingly hostile against judges, and though the legislative branch is trying to ameliorate this safety gap, lawyers have a moral imperative and professional requirement to stand with judges in defusing attacks against them and their rulings, says Deborah Winokur at Cozen O'Connor.

  • What Cos. Should Know About FTC's Proposed Junk Fee Rule

    Author Photo

    The Federal Trade Commission recently announced a notice of proposed rulemaking targeting junk fees and how businesses may advertise prices to consumers — and since it would give the agency powers to seek monetary penalties against businesses that do not comply, companies should look to get ahead now, say Phyllis Marcus and Nicole Johnson at Hunton Andrews.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Hello! I'm Law360's automated support bot.

How can I help you today?

For example, you can type:
  • I forgot my password
  • I took a free trial but didn't get a verification email
  • How do I sign up for a newsletter?
Ask a question!