Covington’s global Technology and Communications Regulation practice advises technology, media, and telecommunications companies on the evolving regulatory frameworks governing these increasingly interconnected sectors. We are recognized in the United States, EMEA, and Asia for our market-leading regulatory and policy expertise in communications and online services, including in advising companies in need of regulatory advice that spans borders.
United States. In the United States, we maintain an elite practice representing parties before the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Department of Justice (DoJ), Department of Commerce, Congress, and other governmental bodies. Our team includes multiple former FCC, FTC, and DoJ officials and other practitioners with decades of experience in the industry. We bring this expertise to bear for a wide range of technology and communications clients—including broadcasters and media networks, telecommunications service providers, subsea cable operators, gigabit broadband networks, providers of cloud and other online services, wireless carriers, consumer electronics developers, and satellite companies, among others.
We have deep expertise in both traditional communications regulation and in the policy challenges affecting online services that do not fit neatly into that regulatory framework. In doing so, we routinely advise clients on topics such as the federal Universal Service Fund (USF) and Infrastructure Act broadband funding, online accessibility, interoperability, FCC licensing (including spectrum auctions), content moderation / Section 230, enforcement investigations, equipment authorizations, and other compliance and policy matters.
We also have a market-leading practice representing private equity and strategic investors in negotiating, structuring, and obtaining federal, state, and local regulatory approvals for mergers and acquisitions of telecommunications carriers, broadcasters, and other communications providers. For transactions involving foreign investment, our clients benefit from the deepest bench of “Team Telecom” national security practitioners of any firm in the United States.
Europe. In a short span of time, lawmakers in the EU and other European jurisdictions have transformed the regulatory landscape for technology companies—establishing a complex regulatory regime that affects all aspects of technology and online services.
Innovators of all sizes have long trusted us with their hardest challenges, and today we represent many of the leading technology companies globally. Our teams in London, Brussels and Frankfurt help these clients navigate Europe’s increasingly challenging regulatory and policy environment, handling product and service roll-outs, implementation of new regulatory frameworks, regulatory investigations, new legislative proposals and many other matters.
Our advice encompasses the full range of issues that are top of mind for online service providers and other innovators operating in Europe, including content moderation and online safety, data protection, accessibility, net neutrality, law enforcement access to information and OTT/VoIP regulation, as well as the many new and proposed rules governing the activities of online platforms and the use and sharing of data. Our expertise in these areas is widely recognized, with Chambers UK praising our lawyers for having an “impressive” command of online platform regulation and for having “great insight into the regulators” affecting online services in Europe.
Global. Our regulatory and policy expertise extends beyond the United States and Europe. For example, colleagues in our Africa and Middle East practices, through our offices in Johannesburg and Dubai, have helped telecommunications and technology providers navigate regulatory challenges and achieve their business objectives in the region. From our offices in Beijing, Seoul and Shanghai, our team advises providers on regulatory developments in Asia as well.
Our global footprint helps us advise clients on a broad range of regulatory strategies for innovative networks, products, and online services, including connected and autonomous vehicles (CAV), 5G, the Internet of Things (IoT), and artificial intelligence (AI).
Across all of the geographies in which we practice, our strength in technology and communications regulation builds on our expertise in closely related and often overlapping disciplines, including Data Privacy and Cybersecurity, Antitrust and Competition, Advertising and Consumer Protection, CFIUS and Team Telecom (in the United States) and Foreign Direct Investment (in Europe). In short, our multi-disciplinary teams have the insight and experience to serve virtually all manner of regulatory needs of technology and communications providers.
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