Telecommunications

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Pillsbury’s Communications practice has been at the forefront of telecommunications issues for more than 40 years, representing wireline and VoIP service providers, including the VoIP industry’s leading trade association, as well as telecommunications investors and lenders.

From transactional guidance through regulatory compliance and dispute resolution, Pillsbury’s Communications team provides comprehensive counsel and representation to telecommunications companies and those engaged in business with them. We represent wireline and VoIP service providers and others in rulemaking proceedings before the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), state public utility commissions, the International Telecommunications Union, and the Canadian Radio and Telecommunications Commission, before Congress, in state legislatures, and in state and federal court litigation.

Pillsbury’s Communications lawyers advise on siting and telecom infrastructure construction. Our regulatory work includes licensing, preparation of tariffs, compliance filings, responses to consumer complaints and requests for cooperation from law enforcement agencies, and preparation of comments in rulemaking proceedings. We also prepare and negotiate a wide variety of contracts for service provider clients, including interconnection agreements, customer contracts, and agency and distribution agreements. Additionally, members of our nationally prominent Global Sourcing & Technology Transactions and Communications practices regularly assist large users of telecommunications in structuring global IT and telecommunications sourcing agreements and service relationships with carriers. We guide clients through the complex and ever-changing regulatory structure, advise on fees and taxes that are passed through by carriers and help clients prepare RFPs and review RFP responses.

Pillsbury’s Intellectual Property (IP) lawyers also have significant experience representing telecommunications providers. Members of our IP team have advanced degrees in computer science and engineering and are well-versed in the complex technology and innovative infrastructure requirements employed by telecommunications providers.

Representative Experience

Represented the VON Coalition since its inception in 1997 in all VoIP proceedings at the FCC and state regulatory commissions.
Advised RingCentral (cloud communications) in connection with regulatory matters in its initial public offering.
Provided guidance regarding regulatory approval associated with AccessLine Communications (VoIP/Telecom) mergers with Oak Hill in 2013 and Madison Dearborn in 2016.

Regulatory Compliance Representative Matters

Represented Deutsche Bank and BNP Paribas in connection with a loan to Abry Partners for the acquisition of Securus Holdings, an inmate calling services provider.

Acted for AB Private Credit Investors in connection with a loan to X5 OPCO, LLC to fund the acquisition of Novatel Ltd. and Cornerstone Telephone Company LLC.

Represented Educational Networks of America in connection with its acquisition by Zelnick Media Capital.

Advised BNP Paribas in connection with a loan to Castle Harlan for the acquisition of Securus Holdings.

Counseled Barclays Private Credit in connection with a credit facility for Extenet Holdings for the acquisition of Distributed Antenna System networks.

Acted for SunTrust Robinson Humphrey in connection with a credit facility for Extenet Holdings.

Advised North Bridge Growth Equity in connection with its investment in VoIP provider Jive Communications.

Represented VoIP/broadband provider Education Networks of America in connection with its merger with mSouth.

Acted for broadband provider Long Island Fiber in connection with its merger with Sidera Networks.

IP Representative Matters

Represented the HTC companies in lawsuit involving multirate signal processing in MP3 and AACv2 codes (Hybrid Audio v. HTC et al., (E.D. Tex.)).

Represented the ZTE companies in a seven-patent lawsuit involving Adaptive Multi-Rate (AMR) vocoders and other cellular technologies (Wiav Solutions v. ZTE et al., (E.D. Va.)).

Represented the ZTE companies, the Kyocera companies, and Nokia in a lawsuit involving complex spreading in CDMA2000 and WCDMA (SPH v. Kyocera and SPH v. Acer et al.).

Represented Pulse~LINK in three patent litigation matters adverse to TZero Technologies, CASD. Cases involved Ultra-Wideband communications technology (IEEE 802.15.3a).

Represented AT&T, Sprint and Best Buy in case filed by non-practicing entity related to cell phone positioning and location technology (Arrival Star S.A. v. Cellco, et al.).

Represented AT&T Mobility Inc. in defending suit for infringement of patent on a “Telephone/Transaction Entry Device and System for Entering Transaction Data into Databases” asserted against cellular phones and networks, in which the Court granted AT&T Mobility’s motion for summary judgment on ground patent claimed patent-ineligible subject matter, a ruling the Federal Circuit affirmed on appeal.

Handled IP due diligence, copyright and trademark issues as well as talent issues in connection with AT&T Services Inc.’s acquisition of a media company and managed the entertainment content and entertainment-union related aspects of this complex transaction.

Represented the ZTE companies in several ITC Investigations, including 337-TA-850, 337-TA-884 and 337-TA-905.

Handled more than 40 inter partes reviews involving telecommunications companies before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board.

Practice Area Highlights

Recognized by Chambers USA for Telecom, Broadcast & Satellite in Washington, DC (2021 – 2024) and in Media and Entertainment (2024) Firms to Watch.
Recognized nationally by The Legal 500 U.S. for Telecoms and Broadcast: Regulatory (2008 – 2024).
Pillsbury represents a diverse cross-section of wireless, wireline and VoIP service providers, and investors in communications service providers. We handle a vast array of transactional, regulatory and litigation matters for all sectors of the telecom industry.

One of our IP team members is a former member of the U.S. Delegation to the International Telecommunications Union and a former voting member of Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.15.3a Standards Committee.

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