Communications & Telecommunications

Wood & Lee counsels telecommunications clients in the areas of mergers and acquisitions (M&A, corporate finance, litigation, commercial and regulatory. Our lawyers also advise on initial public offerings, significant investments, and financings of telecommunications companies. This also includes legal advise on restructurings, license bids in spectrum auctions and regulatory compliance. On commercial matters, we advise a range of clients on:

• network-build agreements (e.g., indefeasible rights of use (IRUs), capacity, equipment purchase, and collocation);
• licensing agreements;
• master services and similar customer agreements;
• the operation, maintenance, and management services agreements;
• reseller agreements and other marketing relationships, inter-affiliate and non-affiliate relationships;
• and formation of joint ventures.

Our lawyers represent telecommunications clients in complex litigation, arbitration and dispute resolution. This includes disputes arising out of M&A transactions and significant outsourcing, disputes related to the proper accounting treatment of IRUs, and billing-related disputes.

Communications

Wood & Lee’s lawyers provide comprehensive legal, regulatory and strategic business advice to clients in the broadcasting, telecommunications and new media sectors. We bring a tradition of experience and expertise in what we do. With these, we advise clients in high-profile media transactions and key policy proceedings affecting the broadcasting and telecommunications industries. Our lawyers have extensive experience in today’s digital and multi-platform environment, including the internet, mobile and satellite sectors. We act for a wide variety of public and private sector clients, including:

• radio and television broadcasters
• specialty and pay programming service providers
• cable, satellite and wireless broadcasting and telecommunications service providers
• entertainment companies
• internet content companies and Internet service providers
• industry trade associations
• government agencies

Our lawyers advise on applications for new broadcasting licences, regulatory approvals of transfers of ownership and control, in addition to policy submissions in major broadcasting and telecommunications regulatory proceedings. We also represent clients in tariff applications and objections, general policy reviews, and advocacy positions on issues affecting the communications sector. Wood & Lee lawyers further provide legal advice on a wide variety of business law matters relating to this industry. This includes industry-specific business transactions, the rules and regulations governing unsolicited communications, service provider engagement and sub-contracting, as well as the establishment of effective electronic delivery systems, software and other intellectual property licensing, and on matters relating to the Internet, privacy and e-commerce.

Our Capabilities

Regulatory law requirements

• governing licence transfers, renewals and amendments and regulatory approvals arising from the transfer of ownership and control of communications companies.

Corporate and commercial transactions

• including the acquisition and sale of broadcasting and telecommunications companies and related corporate structuring issues.

Drafting and negotiation of program licensing agreements

• including affiliation agreements between programming services and cable/satellite broadcasting distributors; marketing and advertising agreements; brand licensing agreements in joint ventures

Copyright law

• in the film, television and music industries, including retransmission royalties, legal obligations with respect to public performance and reproduction of musical and audio-visual works, and the impact of new copyright legislation on industry practices in the broadcasting and telecommunications industries and on the internet.

Competition policy, trade and foreign ownership rules

• in the broadcasting and telecommunications sectors, foreign investment, and the interface between competition law and communications law

Privacy and information management

• application of privacy law and applicable local legislation to the communications sector, establishment of effective electronic delivery systems, professional and ethical standards, privacy breaches, lawful access, unsolicited communications, enterprise-wide privacy, and data protection policies and strategies.

Provision of domestic and international telecommunications

• its services, development of optical fibre network facilities and interconnection issues and cross-border satellite telecommunications joint ventures.

New media issues

• new web applications such as blockchain, over-the-top services and peer-to-peer (P2P) networks.

IP licensing agreements, information technology and telecommunications-related transactions including joint ventures and high technology