MWC / CTIA 2022: Connectivity and Policy Will Be Front and Center in Vegas

On Wednesday, September 28, 2022, GSMA and CTIA will kick off this year’s Mobile World Congress (MWC 2022) conference in Las Vegas. For two and a half jam-packed days, #MWC22 will bring together policymakers, technical experts, and companies across the digital ecosystem to talk tech, innovation, and policy. The conference programming will convene experts from across the country to discuss the future of connectivity and mobile technology. Topics are varied and range from spectrum needs to 5G security to congressional activity.

Several Wiley lawyers will be at MWC 2022 and are looking forward to the opportunity to reconvene with familiar faces to take in the new technology at the exhibit hall and the thought leadership of this year’s speakers. We will connect with policymakers, clients, and friends, and make new connections based on a shared interest in advancing mobile technology and shaping policy and innovation to promote a connected future.

For decades, our lawyers and engineers have been working on just about every major issue involved in – and affected by – wireless innovation and advanced technology, from Federal Communications Commission (FCC) licensing and auctions to consumer protection issues to privacy legislation. CTIA leadership, along with the major carriers, will be discussing “key legislative priorities, including policies impacting 5G, spectrum, privacy, broadband deployment, and more” at the Legislative Policy Roundup on Wednesday.

Here are just a few of the things Wiley lawyers are watching in advance of MWC 2022:

Spectrum. Regulators and our clients are focused on ensuring that enough spectrum is available to accommodate the wide range of existing and emerging technologies that serve American businesses and consumers. U.S. spectrum policy is also a key input to global work. MWC 2022’s program will focus on spectrum issues and will include speakers with significant insight on the spectrum pipeline, such as officials from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration within the Department of Commerce. Wiley partner and former FCC Deputy Bureau Chief Scott Delacourt looks forward to hearing more about “how the spectrum pipeline will be replenished given competing private sector and federal government demands.” As Wiley partner Josh Turner explains, MWC 2022 will provide a great opportunity to “get back together with everyone in person and hear about the future of spectrum coordination,” particularly in the wake of high profile inter-agency discussions about spectrum use.

Cybersecurity. Cybersecurity is a major focus of MWC’s regulatory and technical discussions and has been keeping the Wiley team busy for over a decade. Given how many controversial and challenging government efforts are underway on cyber and privacy and the pace of work that has been keeping our clients so busy, the three cyber events are timely. Wiley partner Megan Brown notes, “we want to hear how private experts plan to confront regulatory challenges and mange new burdens and to hear if they think policy can land in a good place in 2023.” Kat Scott looks forward to “hearing from leaders across the wireless industry about cutting edge cybersecurity efforts” in the Cybersecurity Hot Topics session.

There will be a session to show off a major innovation that Wiley has been pleased to be part of, the 5G Security Test Bed, announced by CTIA, MITRE, the University of Maryland, and industry leadership. Megan notes that “5G security has been such a focus of the FCC, NIST, DOD, and others – it’s exciting to help support the innovative 5G Security Test Bed, which shows how private leadership fills gaps and leads in tech,” and we look forward to attending the discussion about it between Tom Sawanobori, CTIA’s CTO, and MITRE’s Charles Clancy on Thursday.

Innovation. MWC is also looking at the cutting edge of innovation, with tracks about fintech and the Internet of Things (IoT), covering topics like fintech innovation, the fight against fraud and cybercrime, and more. Wiley partner Duane Pozza and special counsel Lyn Brown have been working with the government on these very issues, which are so important and timely. Several events will focus on Web 3.0 and the metaverse, which raise so many interesting questions about the role of government, norms, and more. Many of Wiley’s clients are doing other unique and innovative things at the forefront of the digital ecosystem. As an attorney helping those clients navigate law and policy in areas such as uncrewed aircraft systems, access to technology by persons with disabilities, and next-generation infrastructure deployment, Wiley associate Sara Baxenberg is looking forward to the conference’s innovation-focused programming, which will include discussions on how emerging technologies can solve future problems and the role of AI in sustainable IoT networks, among other topics.

Social Change. One area that makes working with wireless so rewarding is how the technology helps drive social progress and create opportunity. From helping to address climate change to making telemedicine and remote learning a reality, wireless is helping reshape the world. Wiley partner Charles McKee, formerly with Sprint, looks forward to “learning what the wireless industry is doing to make the world a better place” at the Wireless for Good event. Wiley has been an enthusiastic sponsor of wireless industry philanthropy and efforts to support innovation, such as the CTIA Foundation’s recent Catalyst celebration awarding grants to innovators.

Will you be at #MWC22 this week? We’d love to catch up! Reach out to anyone in the Wiley delegation: Megan Brown, Scott Delacourt, Josh Turner, Edgar Class, Charles McKee, Kat Scott, Sara Baxenberg, and Steve Conley.