Lerman Senter PLLC

What Sets Us Apart

*Experience*

For more than forty years, Lerman Senter has effectively and efficiently served the diverse legal needs of communications and media clients before the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and other federal and state regulatory agencies, as well as the United States Congress and the courts. The firm's size, in combination with its breadth of practice and experience in both regulatory and commercial affairs, allows us to provide top-quality, responsive, personalized and cost-effective service to our clients.

Our clients include companies and institutions of all sizes in the media, broadband, spectrum, and communications infrastructure; utilities, satellite; intellectual property; and privacy, data protection and cybersecurity industries. Our core expertise is helping our clients understand, comply with, and advocate for changes in communications policies and regulations. We also help our clients in related operational areas including transactions, intellectual property, and privacy and data security.

*Client Focus*

We take a comprehensive, full-service approach to providing legal and advisory services to our clients - large and small - with particular emphasis on quality, productivity, and responsiveness.

*Creativity*

The firm has taken unique, innovative approaches to the varied, complex issues that clients face in the increasingly dynamic media, communications, and telecommunications industries. We have assisted clients in several different fields to introduce new communications and telecommunications services, products, and technologies through the development and/or original interpretation of regulations and statutes, and through aggressive business strategies.

*Results*

Our attorneys have:

-Negotiated hundreds of major broadcast transactions, including some of the largest acquisitions and sales in the history of the industry.

-Developed and implemented training programs for broadcasting companies to promote employee awareness and compliance with regulations and broadcast standards concerning obscenity, indecency and profanity; payola, plugola, and sponsorship identification; and diversity.

-Prepared FCC applications for facilities modifications, channel and/or community of license changes, temporary and experimental authorizations, assignments and transfers of control, and license renewals.

-Resurrected a client's ability to register a critical trademark in key markets around the world through a novel regulatory approach and successful negotiation of a global trademark settlement agreement.

-Counseled broadband providers on internet governance, privacy, cybersecurity, and law enforcement obligations.

-Helped clients acquire spectrum rights and licenses to support and expand broadband and utility operations.

-Advised clients on data privacy, security, e-commerce issues and related website liability issues and drafted related website terms of use, privacy policies, and user content submission agreements.

-Negotiated e-commerce agreements on behalf of clients, including online software distribution and reseller agreements.

-Assisted clients in obtaining state and local zoning approvals for siting and constructing communications towers and collocating communications equipment.

-Developed FCC auction, regulatory, and business strategy for a client to introduce a new nationwide wireless services network.

-Through lobbying efforts and proof-of-concept service applications, assisted a client in establishing the first FCC regulations allowing and governing the use of satellite Earth Stations on Vessels (ESVs) operating at sea in the C-band and Ku-band frequencies.

-Significantly influenced and helped create FCC policies with respect to new global satellite systems providing fixed, as well as mobile voice and data services, in all world regions.

-Obtained licensing - after extensive domestic and international regulatory efforts and Congressional lobbying - of the world's first privately-owned operational international satellite system.

-Through extended domestic and international negotiations, created the first U.S. "transborder" satellite operation, now well-established in U.S. telecommunications policy.

-Assisted with bankruptcies and restructurings for clients in the communications and telecommunications industries.

-Advised on email marketing issues under the federal CAN-SPAM Act and various state and international laws that govern email and other electronic communications.

-Advised on federal telemarketing laws such as the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), as amended by the Junk Fax Prevention Act, and the FTC’s Telemarketing Sales Rule, and various state and international laws.

-Successfully represented clients in administrative proceedings under the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy ("UDRP").