Broadband and IP-Enabled Services

Today’s communications networks rely on high-capacity broadband connections to carry information of all types in Internet Protocol (IP) format and support an ever-evolving panoply of new services that bring enormous benefits to American consumers and businesses.  They also give rise to increasingly complex regulatory challenges to maintain longstanding principles of protecting consumers and promoting competition and universal access. 

Clients ranging from tiny start-ups to Fortune 50 firms rely on Wilkinson Barker Knauer to evaluate how their services should be treated under governing law and, as regulations evolve, to advocate their positions before regulators, courts, and legislatures at the federal and state levels.  Whether clients are advancing their viewpoints regarding the proper classification of new service offerings, addressing the propriety of government regulation relating to internet openness or network neutrality, or seeking to ensure that their investments in new network infrastructure will be rewarded rather than punished, clients have turned to WBK for its unparalleled expertise on these matters – expertise accumulated over many years in government and private practice – and have prevailed. 

Access to high-speed broadband services also has become critical to Americans and the success of our nation.  Wilkinson Barker Knauer attorneys have worked with clients on universal service programs since their inception and, more recently, we have been on the front lines of expanded efforts at the federal and state level to extend broadband access and achieve digital equity through a wide range of subsidy and grant programs.  We help clients navigate all stages of these programs, from developing strategies and advocacy, identifying funding opportunities, and helping with applications, to compliance with program requirements.