On March 23, Fletcher Heald attorney Thomas Urban presented a webinar on how COVID-19 has affected contract litigation and how companies should be prepared for future public health emergencies. During the presentation, Tom broke down the differences in contract doctrines and provided viewers with specific case law that could be applicable in potential lawsuits. The webinar ended with an in-depth look at where contract law could be moving post-COVID as well as many other challenges…

Capitol Hill President Biden on March 11, 2021 signed a further Coronavirus emergency spending package into law – the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act ($1.9 trillion). A very high-level summary of the major spending components of the legislation can be found here (courtesy of CTC Technology & Energy) – but the notable highlights include a $10 billion “capital projects” grant fund for states[1] (made available through the Department of Treasury) and $7.1 billion appropriated…

On Thursday, April 1, 2021 the Supreme Court unanimously voted to overturn the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Philadelphia (“Third Circuit”) in the case of Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) v. Prometheus Radio Project, No. 19-1231. The possibility of this result was something we had considered in a previous post, which includes background on media ownership rules. By overturning the Third Circuit, the changes the FCC adopted in 2017 will…

Broadcast Deadlines: April 1, 2021 Radio License Renewal Applications Due – Applications for renewal of license for radio stations located in Texas must be filed in Licensing and Management System (LMS). These applications must be accompanied by Schedule 396, the Broadcast Equal Employment Opportunity Program Report (EEO), also filed in LMS, regardless of the number of full-time employees. Under the new public notice rules, radio stations filing renewal applications must begin broadcasts of their post-filing…

On March 23, 2021, the Kansas Corporation Commission (“KCC”) issued a long-awaited Order resolving jurisdictional and other issues surrounding interconnection and porting issues between Voice over Internet Protocol (“VoIP”) providers and rural local exchange carriers (“LECs”) in Kansas. VoIP providers and rural LECs in Kansas have had a long‑running and contentious battle regarding number porting requests made by VoIP carriers to rural LECs. VoIP providers argued that because the FCC has ruled that VoIP carriers…

For over a year, COVID-19 has created immeasurable change to our way of life and the global economy. By now, you have probably already heard of or dealt with contractual disputes—from advertising to insurance and many other fields—related to non-performance caused by the pandemic. While many cases are still being litigated, it is important to understand the direction in which these may go. Just as important is answering the question: How will future contracts be…

Washington, DC – The Members of telecommunications, media, and technology law firm Fletcher, Heald & Hildreth, PLC are proud to announce that they have elected Thomas F. Urban II as a Member of the Firm effective immediately.  Joining the firm in January 2020, Mr. Urban had an impactful first year with his active litigation practice, especially in response to COVID-19.  Not only has Mr. Urban continued to have a substantial hearing and deposition schedule (remotely);…