Covington’s telecommunications practice spans the industry, and we have experience advising clients in more than 50 countries. Our presence in Beijing, Brussels, London, New York, San Diego, San Francisco, Seoul, Shanghai, Silicon Valley and Washington, DC provides our attorneys with meaningful access and insight into a range of developments and issues in the telecom industry. We recognize that the rapidly changing telecommunications market raises new business and legal challenges that require multi-disciplinary solutions. Given our experience and extensive industry knowledge, we are uniquely positioned to provide clients with the regulatory, transactional, and litigation expertise this evolving market requires.
Our telecommunications clients represent a broad range of companies and industries, including all classes of service providers, as well as investors, Internet companies, equipment manufacturers, and application providers in the US and abroad.
Regulatory
Through the relationships that Covington attorneys have developed with regulators, we are able to facilitate access to key players involved in policy development. Further, our work on policy development and in assisting regulators in the design, development and implementation of communications regulations means that we can develop regulatory strategies and plans that are practical and commercially effective.
Transactional
Covington’s transactional experience in the telecommunications sector spans the full breadth of these industries and is global in scope, including innovative transactions for new media companies, such as content licensing via wireless devices, joint ventures bringing together digital content and broadband portals, and spectrum clearing agreements. The firm’s corporate and transactional capabilities in this space draw on our interdisciplinary approach, the scope of our client relationships, and our lawyers’ broad deal experience in the US, Europe and Asia.
Representative Matters
Regulatory
- Representation of one of the world’s largest global software and technology companies in a range of communications regulatory issues affecting its business.
- Representation of a group of secured lenders as principal outside regulatory counsel in the restructuring of FairPoint Communications.
- Representation of one of the industry’s largest rural local exchange carriers as principal outside regulatory counsel in the US in connection with universal service, intercarrier compensation and broadband compliance, investigations and policymaking proceedings.
- Representation of a major media company on all telecom matters relevant to its commencement and continuity of operations as a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (i.e., a reseller of wireless service) in the US market.
Transactional
- Representation of Ontario Teachers Pension Fund, Providence Equity Partners and Madison Dearborn Partners in their $33 billion acquisition of BCE, Inc., the parent of Bell Canada.
- Representation of Qwest Communications International Inc. in a number of strategic transactions and proposed transactions, including its merger with CenturyLink (as local counsel in the District of Columbia and Maryland).
- Representation of Qualcomm in numerous European acquisitions and investments including its $200 million joint venture and private equity investment with Omnia, a subsidiary of Saudi Oger, to create a UK-based company to deploy CDMA-based technology.
- Representation of Microsoft in negotiating reseller agreements for interactive voice recognition cloud services between Microsoft subsidiary Tellme and various partners, initially Juma Technology Company and its subsidiary Nectar Services Corp.
Accolades
- Chambers USA: leading Telecom, Broadcast, & Satellite practice (2004-2013).
- Chambers USA: leading Media and Entertainment practice (2007-2013)
- Chambers USA: Telecom, Broadcast, & Satellite and Media & Entertainment (2012-2013).
- seven attorneys recognized
- Chambers USA: First Amendment Litigation (2011-2013)
- Chambers Europe: Leading TMT Information Technology and TMT Telecommunications (Belgium) practice (2013)
- Chambers Asia: leading China Technology, Media & Telecom sector (2010-2013).
- Legal 500 US: Media, Technology & Telecoms (2012-2013)
- Technology - Data Protection & Privacy
- Marketing & Advertising
- Technology - Outsourcing
- Technology - Transactions
- Telecoms & Broadcast - Regulatory & Transactional
- Nineteen attorneys recognized in above categories
- Legal 500 UK (2011-2012)
- Media and Entertainment
- IT & Telecoms
- Legal 500 EMEA: EU Regulatory, Information Technology (2011-2012)
- Legal 500 Asia Pacific: Beijing - Technology, Media & Telecoms - Foreign Firms (2009-2012)
- Best Lawyers in America: Communications Law (2013)
- Four attorneys recognized
- Best Lawyers in America: Administrative/Regulatory Law (2012-2013)
- Best Lawyers in America: Technology (2012-2013)
- Practical Law Company: Telecoms & Media - EU, US, and China (2012)
- Variety named Jason Goldberg, a member of our Asia media practice, as one of “50 Game-Changing Attorneys” in the world for his representation of major U.S. studios in landmark film production and financing deals in China (2012).
- U.S. News Media Group and Best Lawyers, Communications Law and Technology Law: National and Washington, DC, first tier ranking (2011)
- Intellectual Property Magazine Awards (2010)
- Sports, Media and Entertainment Team of the Year
- Managing Intellectual Property Global Awards (2010)
- Shortlisted in the pan-European category "New Media/Internet"
- The International Who's Who of Regulatory Communications Lawyers (2012)
- Four attorneys recognized
- The International Who's Who of Internet & e-Commerce Lawyers for Internet & e-Commerce (2011-2012)
- The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers for Regulatory Communications (2012)
- Three attorneys recognized
|
|