WRF Attorneys Author Bankruptcy Telecommunications Manual

June 13, 2003

Washington, DC-The American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI) has just published the Bankruptcy Telecommunications Manual authored by Wiley Rein & Fielding attorneys H. Jason Gold, Valerie P. Morrison and Peter D. Shields with contributions from Robert J. Butler.

The release of this manual comes as the telecommunications industry recovers from the effects of a tumultuous year. In 2002, former industry giants including WorldCom, Adelphia Communications, Global Crossing, XO Communications, and Metromedia sought bankruptcy protection. Today, companies continue to struggle as they compete for market share in an increasingly competitive environment.

The Bankruptcy Telecommunications Manual provides an overview of basic bankruptcy law for the telecom professional and basic communications law for the insolvency professional. The 127-page manual examines the interrelationship and conflict between the Communications Act and the Bankruptcy Code, covering issues such as discontinuation of service, interconnection, non-discrimination in delivery of service, transfer and assignment of FCC licenses, and more. Each section is annotated with leading authority from both the courts and the FCC; key terms, statutes and regulatory schemes are also included.

WRF's Bankruptcy & Financial Restructuring Group, led by H. Jason Gold, is comprised of board certified business bankruptcy lawyers; former judicial clerks to bankruptcy judges; and bankruptcy trustees. Our attorneys have over 23 years of experience representing clients in complex Chapter 11 cases and other insolvency-related restructurings or liquidations. Our clients represent a wide range of industries and have been involved in many of the largest and most complex cases ever filed, including the WorldCom and Global Crossing cases.

More than 70 attorneys are engaged full time in WRF's Communications Practice Group, the most comprehensive team of communications law specialists in the United States. The depth of the Group's expertise-including all aspects of the federal, state and international laws governing the media and telecommunications industry-allows them to quickly and effectively help clients grapple with the business, regulatory and technological demands that confront them in the marketplace.