Internet, Broadband

As the Internet continues to revolutionize global business, and as the resulting explosion in data, voice, and video services challenges the traditional paradigms for the provision and regulation of communications services, we understand the implications of these changes for the competitive and regulatory landscape and the complex questions that must be addressed as regulators, providers, and customers all attempt to adapt to this new world. We advise telecommunications carriers, cable systems, Internet service providers, wireless operators, governments, and large and small companies that rely on the Internet, on the regulatory and business implications of Internet and broadband services, including, among others, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), Internet backbone, DSL, cable modem, IP video, and other IP-enabled services. For example, we have advised on the development of a new VoIP service, advised on the authority to regulate information services, counseled a new provider of satellite-based Internet access services on FCC and other regulatory issues, and negotiated and drafted website development and hosting agreements.

Our firm's presence in the US and Europe and experience around the world position us well to handle cross-border matters for Internet and broadband clients. We advise clients in the US on issues that Congress, the FCC, the FTC, and state and local governments continue to examine, including, among other issues, "net neutrality," the regulation of IP-enabled services, privacy and security. In Europe and elsewhere, we are counseling clients on the ramifications of operational separation and the regulatory issues arising from the introduction of next-generation networks and new technologies.