Fixed Telephony and Common Carrier Services
Squire Sanders lawyers represent clients in every major telephone industry segment including competition in providing international, long-distance, private-line and local telephone service, as well as competition in providing value-added services and customer-premises terminal equipment. We assist clients with numerous regulatory issues including:
- Intercarrier compensation and access charge requirements
- Accounting and termination rates
- Settlements
- Licensing and treaty policies
- Price cap and rate of return regulation
- Universal service support
We also negotiate and draft contractual arrangements for network capacity, facilities collocation, interconnection, peering and international termination.
In the United States, we provide guidance on issues such as the rules governing the obligations of incumbent operators to allow new market entrants to obtain, use and resell their services and facilities; the deployment of data transport services; and the state and federal regulatory approvals necessary to complete mergers and acquisitions. In Europe, we have assisted multinational businesses in establishing and expanding their operations throughout the European Union. In Asia, we have advised local exchange carriers in access and interconnection disputes and related regulatory hearings and litigation.
A major component of our assistance to international communications carriers has been compliance with domestic security regulations addressing market access by international carriers based in other countries. For example, carriers seeking to provide international communications services originating or terminating in the United States must first secure approval not only from the US Federal Communications Commission, but also from the US Department of Homeland Security, the US Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Our lawyers are experienced in negotiating and securing such approvals in a timely manner.