Overview
Bates White experts work with attorneys and regulatory affairs staff to manage the strategic and practical aspects of regulatory matters and to provide expert analysis and support before federal, state, and international regulatory bodies. Bates White combines knowledge of regulatory economics with deep experience in competition economics to provide insights into the ways that platform convergence is blurring the line between competition and regulatory policy. Our experts have testified, made presentations, and submitted reports to state, federal, and overseas regulators on issues such as the unbundling obligations of local exchange carriers, auction design, the impact of exclusive programming rules on the distribution of video programming, net neutrality, and wireless neutrality. Our clients have included long distance telephone companies, incumbent and competitive local exchange carriers, regulatory agencies, wireless telephone companies, and cable companies.
Selected Work
- On behalf of Shaw Communications, analyzed the Canadian mobile wireless market in the context of a Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission proceeding reviewing mobile wireless services and considering possible regulatory interventions.
- Analyzed the Canadian wireless market in the context of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission’s call for comments on its regulation of wholesale mobile wireless roaming.
- Submitted two declarations on behalf of Comcast in an FCC proceeding on business data services.
- Filed a declaration with the FCC in support of a petition for declaratory ruling by T-Mobile USA, asking the FCC to provide “prospective guidance and predictable enforcement criteria” for determining whether the terms of a data roaming agreement meet the Commission’s “commercially reasonable” standard.
- On behalf of Verizon, filed a declaration with the FCC in connection with its investigation of certain Verizon special access tariffs.
- On behalf of AT&T, prepared a paper analyzing whether net neutrality-type rules should be imposed on the wireless industry.
- Submitted a white paper and made presentations to the staff of the FCC and the staffs of FCC Commissioners regarding proposed rules concerning the unbundling obligations of local exchange carriers.
- Provided expert testimony before the FCC in connection with rules pertaining to exclusive contracts between vertically integrated content providers and cable companies.
- Served as the government’s expert related to Section 271 provisions of the Telecom Act.
- Quantified the benefits of telecommunications deregulation in Germany and other major European countries for Deutsche Telekom.