At its Open Meeting on November 15, the FCC approved a draft Order that grants in part the European Commission’s (EC) long-pending request for waivers of certain FCC licensing requirements to permit non-Federal U.S. receive-only earth stations to operate with specific signals of the Galileo satellite system (Galileo) without having to obtain an FCC license or grant of US … Continue Reading
For many smallsat operators, solving difficult technical problems is the easy part of the mission; obtaining regulatory approvals is the hard part. The Commercial Smallsat Spectrum Management Association (CSSMA) is working to change that.
CSSMA is dedicated to creating a transparent and expedited spectrum coordination process through educational outreach, sharing best practices, and regulatory advocacy. CSSMA formally incorporated a year … Continue Reading
How do you ensure that an Internet-connected sensor or device—often inexpensive and designed for lifespans of up to 20 years or more—can be secured against not only the intrusions of today but also those of the future? This question has taken on new urgency as low-cost Internet-connected devices are increasingly being co-opted into massive networks, known as “botnets,” that are … Continue Reading
On January 12, 2017, prior to the new administration taking power, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) within the Department of Commerce (Department) released a Green Paper on “Fostering the Advancement of the Internet of Things,” which assesses the technological and policy landscape of the Internet of Things (IoT). The Green Paper is expansive in scope, reflecting the broad … Continue Reading
Midnight 1 October 2016 was a historic moment in the history of the Internet with ICANN, a non-profit organization, finally taking control of the global domain name system (DNS). The U.S. government’s contract to perform the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) functions (the IANA contract) has expired. Whilst the U.S. certainly invented the underlying technology (with British computer scientist … Continue Reading
On April 5, 2016, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) initiated an inquiry to review the potential benefits and challenges presented by the Internet of Things (IoT). In its Notice and request for public comment (RFC), NTIA is seeking input on the current IoT technological and policy landscape with a goal of developing recommendations—in the form of a Green … Continue Reading
Lisa Ellman, a former advisor to the Obama administration on innovation and emerging technology, former head of drone policy for the Department of Justice, and now a Partner in our Washington, D.C. office and head of the firm’s Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Group, speaks about drone deals, valuation and regulatory trends.
Click here for our recent update on drone transactions, … Continue Reading
EDITOR’S NOTE: We are excited to present this entry in our new TMT2020 series, which reflects the key technology, media, and telecoms legal issues that are expected to impact today’s organizations and tomorrow’s marketplace. It also provides an opportunity to highlight contributions by TMT associates across our global offices and practice areas.
On September 17, 2015 the Silicon Flatirons Center… Continue Reading
On Monday, August 3, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) kicked off the multistakeholder process to develop best practices for commercial and private unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) use. As we previously reported, the NTIA action follows the White House’s February 15, 2015, Presidential Memorandum directing NTIA to lead private sector groups toward the creation of commercial UAS standards … Continue Reading
Across the country, we’re in the midst of “Unmanned Aircraft Systems (“UAS”) fever” – industries from media, agriculture and energy to insurance, real estate and construction are seeking FAA approvals to fly UAS in the United States. UAS technology has improved at a rapid pace, and offer a vast array of safety and efficiency benefits to companies for a wide … Continue Reading
