The CommLaw Group believes that an “informed” client is the very best client. Knowledge is power – the power to predict regulatory trends, to anticipate risks, and to use your knowledge to make adjustments that will help keep your company out of harm’s way. And when our Firm has important or exciting news to announce about developments at our organization, including awards, achievements, hirings and various presentations & webinars, we will share information through News announcements.
The FCC has been steadily stepping up its enforcement of its regulations on LED equipment. Many LED suppliers are facing steep fines and losing their equipment certifications. Ronald E Quirk, Head of the IoT Practice at The CommLaw Group, and
The FCC issued a notice in the Federal Register on September 19, 2018, publishing the August 15, 2018 Rural Call Completion Order that adopted rules to: establish a registry for intermediate providers; require intermediate providers to register with the Commission
For the first time in history, the Federal Communications Commission’s (“FCC”) Universal Service Fund (“USF”) contribution factor will likely top twenty percent (20%) in the fourth quarter of 2018. The FCC’s Office of Managing Director proposed a contribution factor of
The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals (“8th Circuit”) recently issued a controversial decision concluding that Charter’s VoIP offering qualifies as an “information service” under the Telecommunications Act of 1996 (“the Act”), preempting state regulation of the service. Charter had filed
Keep Track of TCPA Developments at the FCC by Downloading Our August 2018 TCPA Compliance Monitoring Report Admittedly, ringless voicemail probably is not the final frontier for the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). As long as technology allows business to
The FCC recently released an Order and Notice of Proposed Rulemaking proposing to transition a substantial portion of the 3.7-4.2 GHz band (“Band”), currently allocated to Fixed Satellite Service (“FSS”) and Fixed Service (“FS”) operators, to terrestrial wireless broadband use.
To all clients reporting a majority of revenue as Non-Interconnected VoIP — Our firm recently became aware of a new FCC Form 499 revenue reporting “Red Flag” that may indicate USAC will soon target certain Non-Interconnected VOIP service providers for
Authors: Allison D. Rule, Partner and Communications Taxes & Fees Practice lead at Marashlian & Donahue, PLLC, The CommLaw Group Jacqueline R. Neff, Senior Managing Attorney Seth L. Williams, Associate Attorney In Parts I and II of this series, we
THE MYTH: Government approval is not required for the sale or acquisition of a telecommunications carrier or its assets (e.g., customer base). THE REALITY: Government approval and/or notification is required for transactions involving a telecommunications carrier and certain assets, including
THE MYTH: Retailers of resold telecommunications services do not need to register and/or pay taxes and regulatory fees if their Supplier has already done so. THE REALITY: Retailers of resold telecommunications services remain responsible for registration and payment of taxes
THE MYTH: Data and Internet Access services are “the same,” and neither is regulated nor subject to transaction taxes (sales, use, excise, utility, etc.). THE REALITY: The belief that “Data” and “Internet Access” services are exempt from regulation and taxation is
On May 4, 2018, USTelecom, the trade association that represents LECs, in particular AT&T and Verizon, filed a petition for forbearance (i.e. relief) from certain provisions of the Communications Act that require the major ILECs to open their networks through
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (“USDA”), through its agency Rural Utilities Service (“RUS”), is seeking comments on the implementation of its e-Connectivity Pilot (“ECP”), a $600 million program designed to bring broadband to unserved rural areas in the United States. The idea
Authors: Allison D. Rule, Partner and Communications Taxes & Fees Practice lead at Marashlian & Donahue, PLLC, The CommLaw Group Jacqueline R. Neff, Senior Managing Attorney Seth L. Williams, Associate Attorney With Wayfair, the Supreme Court did the easy part,
Authors: Allison D. Rule, Partner and Communications Taxes & Fees Practice lead at Marashlian & Donahue, PLLC, The CommLaw Group Jacqueline R. Neff, Senior Managing Attorney Seth L. Williams, Associate Attorney By now, businesses with exposure to state and local
On July 1st, the governor of New Jersey signed into law a tax amnesty measure that will allow eligible New Jersey taxpayers to report and remit past due taxes with reduced interest and no late penalties. The 2018 New Jersey
If you’ve operated in the telecom industry at any time over the past decade or so, it’s a safe assumption your company has experienced its fair share of frustrations regarding the Universal Service Fund program. Whether it’s the FCC’s unwillingness
By Robert H. Jackson and Laura A. Saracina In an earlier Client Advisory on the FCC’s Rural Call Completion (“RCC”) rules, we discussed the FCC’s proposed stricter rules to ensure calls made to consumers, businesses and government entities in rural markets are
At The CommLaw Group, we regularly represent communications companies facing a federal or state-level regulatory compliance audit. So we asked our experts from the Audit Defense Team at The CommLaw Group, who have defended countless clients facing regulatory audits, for their advice on the regulatory audit
In February, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will begin enforcing more stringent backup power rules. Providers of facilities-based, fixed residential voice service, including fixed applications of wireless service offered as a residential service, that are not line powered (“Covered Providers”)
