Telecommunications
The telecommunications marketplace has undergone tremendous legal and regulatory changes in recent years. During this time, the industry has also experienced many exciting technological advances that have re-shaped the industry and the businesses that utilize these technologies. Our experience in this area spans a wide range of regulatory, licensing, transactional, litigation and public policy matters involving or affecting a broad array of clients. We represent telecommunications clients on regulatory matters including interconnection proceedings, rulemakings, competitive and compliance proceedings, individual licensing, transactional matters and enforcement proceedings before the Federal Communications Commission, the Connecticut Department of Public Utility Control and the Massachusetts Department of Telecommunications and Energy. Our attorneys handle appeals of regulatory decisions, both through the state court system, including the Connecticut Supreme Court, and at the federal agency level. Shipman & Goodwin represents competitive telephony providers, the largest provider of DSL services in the United States, over builders and Internet service providers. We have also represented telecommunications clients in negotiating capacity, use, and service agreements with other carriers. We also advise clients interested in new media applications such as high-speed wireless Internet service providers and parties interested in Internet telephony. We have represented municipalities and school systems in connection with the construction of fiber networks and pole, conduit and right-of-way disputes. We are experienced in the E-Rate program which provides discounts to eligible schools and libraries for telecommunication services, Internet access, and internal connections. The program is intended to ensure that schools and libraries have access to affordable telecommunications and information services. We have secured E-Rate program discounts for our clients and successfully appealed denials of E-Rate funding. Shipman & Goodwin also represents large users of telecommunications services in negotiations and disputes with service providers. We have sited telecommunications facilities and received exemptions for modifications to various earth stations. Another important aspect of our practice is assisting clients with the planning, construction and installation of their networks. We are also capable of negotiating contracts with construction managers, contractors, suppliers, and design professionals. Our representation of end-user clients has resulted in substantial savings for many of those clients. The firm has developed close working relationships with technical experts in the telecommunications and competitive video field and can readily access these resources to expeditiously solve technical problems or to carefully evaluate and document the technical aspects of a client's claim or defense.
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