Chair’s Column
by Kathleen Grillo (Section Chair 06⁄07)
Greetings from the Steering Committee! We want to thank all of you who participated this past year in D.C. Bar activities. We encourage each CTLS member to help us identify opportunities, organize programs and events and, of course, attend programs. We are always trying to learn more about how we can serve the membership as well as the D.C. community.
Once again, the Section had a very productive year in terms of programming. We continued to focus on traditional communications issues such as Universal Service and CALEA as well as “hot topics” and emerging issues such as Internet Governance, Internet Privacy, the Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States (or CFIUS), and Content Protection. We also co-sponsored numerous programs throughout the year and expect to identify additional programs throughout the summer. Some of our best programs this year were organized by Section members and we welcome and encourage involvement from the Section.
This year, we also increased our efforts on community outreach. We solicited Section volunteers for the D.C. Energy Office’s Joint Utility Discount Day (JUDD), which offers low-income District of Columbia residents the opportunity to apply for assistance in paying their utility bills. We hosted an exhibit table at the 2007 Youth Law Fair, an annual community outreach educational event for senior high and middle school students in the Washington metropolitan area. In the coming year, we hope to organize tours of local telecom or broadcast facilities for D.C. public school students. We welcome your ideas and support. Please watch for announcements about ways you can help develop and support our community outreach efforts.
We always try to remember social activities. On Thursday June 28, we are hosted an evening reception. We invited legal advisors from each of the Commissioners’ offices at both the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Communications Commission. This reception gave Section members a chance to meet each other and these officials in an informal, social atmosphere. The event was held at the Washington City Club at Franklin Square (14th and I Streets). Light refreshments and cocktails were served with one drink included in price of admission. From all reports, the reception met or exceeded participants’ expectations.
In the meantime, if you know anyone who would like to join the Section, please pass along this address: http://www.dcbar.org/for_lawyers/sections/join.cfm
Regards,
Kathleen Grillo
Section Events 06⁄07
Universal Service: What is on the Horizon?
In light of FCC and Congressional activity in the Universal Service
area, Kathleen Grillo (Verizon) facilitated an October 2006 panel including
James Reid, (Office of Senator John D. Rockefeller IV), Paul Garnett
(CTIA-The Wireless Association), Eric Einhorn, (AT&T), and Lisa
Zaina, (Independent Telephone and Telecommunications Alliance) to discuss
the policy issues surrounding universal service reform.
CALEA Implementation: A Practical Overview
In 2005, the Federal Communications Commission extended obligations under the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act to providers of broadband Internet access and Voice-over-IP services. In November 2006, Matt Brill (Latham and Watkins LLP) led a pragmatic overview of implementation requirements with Maura Quinn (FBI), Paul Kouroupas (Global Crossing), and Tony Rutkowski (Verisign).
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Identity Theft, Internet Privacy And Cell Phone Privacy – What Are The Rules Of The Road?
FTC, DOJ and private sector litigation has brought to the forefront data security, cell phone privacy and identity theft as issues of utmost importance to the private sector and government. Heidi Salow (Sprint Nextel) moderated a December 2006 panel including Marc M. Groman (FTC), Al Gidari (Perkins Coie), and Eric A. Wegner (U.S. DOJ) which discussed developments in privacy law and what to expect in 2007.
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A Practitioner’s Guide to the CFIUS Review Process
The Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States, CFIUS, is an inter-agency committee that reviews foreign investment in and⁄or foreign acquisition of U.S. companies, for the purpose of protecting national security. In the telecom industry, the CFIUS process often runs in parallel to the review processes of the Federal Communications Commission, the Department of Justice and other agencies whose approval is required.
Carolyn Brandon (CTIA – The Wireless Association) and Jonathan Frankel (WilmerCutler) facilitated a January 2007 panel including Christopher P. Simkins (U.S. DOJ), Kent Bressie (Harris Wiltshire & Grannis), Lynn Charytyn (WilmerCutler), Mike Gallagher (PerkinsCoie) and Theodore Kassinger (O’Melveny & Myers).
Topics covered included what triggers the CFIUS Review, the factors considered, process compliance, negotiation, where National Security Agreements come in, overviews of recent transactions that have success fully navigated the CFIUS process and more.
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Content: Copy Protection v. Protectionism
Natalie Roisman (Akin Gump) facilitated a discussion of the impact on consumers, the market, and innovation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act’s “anticircumvention” provisions, which prohibit circumvention of access control technologies employed by or on behalf of copyright owners to protect their works.
Panelists were Ryan Triplette (Senate Committee on the Judiciary), Rob Kasunic (U.S. Copyright Office), Troy Dow (Disney), Adam Goldberg (Pioneer North America), and Alex Curtis (Public Knowledge). This February 2007 event was cosponsored with the Intellectual Property Law Section, the Arts, Entertainment, Media and Sports Law Section, the D.C. Chapter of the Copyright Society of the USA, and the Communications Law, Copyright & Digital Rights Management Committee of the Federal Communications Bar Association.
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Internet Governance 101
Russ Hanser (Wilkinson Barker Knauer) led an Internet governance primer for the telecommunications crowd in March 2007. Panelists Ambassador David A. Gross (Department of State), J. Beckwith Burr (WilmerHale) and Joe Sims (Jones Day) explained the key regulatory bodies, the critical issues they face today, and the positions of various stakeholders in the current policy debates.
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Community Outreach Activities
Lending a Hand to D.C. Residents
On October 31, 2006, the D.C. Energy Office held its Joint Utility Discount
Day (JUDD), which offers low-income District of Columbia residents the
opportunity to apply for assistance in paying their utility bills. Section
members volunteered to assist eligible D.C. residents to prepare and
file applications for the 2006-2007 winter heating season.
Youth Law Fair 2007
On Saturday, March 17, 2007, CTLS hosted an exhibit table at the 2007
Youth Law Fair, an annual community outreach educational event for senior
high and middle school students in the Washington metropolitan area.
Section members Lynne Anderson (IBM Corp.) and Joy Ragsdale (Troutman
Sanders LLP) hosted an exhibit table providing students with educational
materials and games relating to Internet Safety, Accountability, and
Responsibility. CTLS also gave out some free goodies – “Learn
B 4 You Burn” wristbands, headphones donated by IBM and two footballs
signed by Steve Largent and donated by CTIA – The Wireless Association.
How You Can Get Involved
Contact Computer and Telecommunications Law Section Outreach Coordinators
Lynne Anderson and Joy
Ragsdale, or the D.C. Bar Sections Office at 202-626-3463 or Sections@dcbar.org.
Newsletter and CTLS Web Site Input Sought
CTLS’ newsletter and CTLS’ Web site welcomes your input for newsworthy information for publication and posting. Publication and posting is free, as a service and as a benefit to CTLS’ members.
CTLS relies on CTLS members for newsletter and Web site content, including ideas for Web site links. Please submit your ideas or newsletter items to Nick Alexander.
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