Recent Articles

Proposed ITAR Rule To Relax ITAR Licensing For Components Incorporated Into Commercial Products

Sheppard Mullin
March 17, 2011 18:18

The author is a member of the Firm's Government Contracts & Regulated Industries Practice Group. For additional articles and postings concerning this and related topics, please refer to Sheppard Mullin's Government Contracts Blog, which can be found at...

FCC Approves Controversial Net Neutrality Rules

Sheppard Mullin
January 04, 2011 21:14

On December 21, 2010, the FCC approved controversial net neutrality rules in a party-line vote.  Democratic Commissioners Copps and Clyburn joined Chairman Genachowski in approving the Order, despite concerns that it did not go far enough.  Republican Commissioners McDowell and Baker...

FCC And FDA Focused On Convergence Of Communications And Medical Systems

August 04, 2010 15:24

Last week, the Federal Communications Commission ("FCC") and the Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") launched a joint initiative to clarify the approval process and regulatory requirements for converged communications and health care devices. In a two-day joint meeting...

Comments Received In FCC Reclassification Proceeding

July 22, 2010 17:25

The FCC received thousands of comments last week in response to its Notice of Inquiry (NOI) regarding the appropriate regulatory classification for broadband Internet service. At issue is the hotly-debated topic of whether and how broadband services should be regulated after the DC Circuit's...

Replacement of the Legacy High-Cost Universal Support Fund with a Connect America Fund: Key Economic and Legal Considerations

May 04, 2010 18:41

A Note by Christopher Huther and Megan Troy of Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP and Christian Dippon of NERA Economic Consulting On April 21, 2010, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released a Notice of Inquiry (NOI) and a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that seek the...

Replacement of the Legacy High-Cost Universal Support Fund with a Connect America Fund: Key Economic and Legal Considerations

May 04, 2010 18:41

A Note by Christopher Huther and Megan Troy of Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP and Christian Dippon of NERA Economic Consulting On April 21, 2010, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released a Notice of Inquiry (NOI) and a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that seek the...

FCC Loses Net Neutrality Suit

April 07, 2010 20:33

On Tuesday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled that the FCC lacks the authority to regulate Internet service providers' network management practices.  The unanimous decision by a three-judge panel immediately throws into question the FCC's ability to require Internet...

National Broadband Plan recommends Lower, Uniform Pole Attachment Rates

March 23, 2010 12:30

The Federal Communications Commission ("FCC") released its long-awaited National Broadband Plan (the "Plan") on March 16, 2010. The Plan emphasizes that encouraging and facilitating access to infrastructure, such as utility poles, is critical to the continued...

FCC Recommends Lower, Uniform Pole Attachment Rates

March 23, 2010 12:30

The Federal Communications Commission ("FCC") released its long-awaited National Broadband Plan (the "Plan") last Tuesday (March 16). The Plan emphasizes the importance of ensuring access to infrastructure, including utility poles, to the continued deployment of broadband in...

FCC Initiates Net Neutrality Rulemaking

Sheppard Mullin
November 02, 2009 18:12

In its latest move in the "net neutrality" debate, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in late October 2009 that breaks from the FCC's historically restrained approach to Internet regulation and proposes a host of new prohibitions and...