law, policy, economics

We are a law firm and consultancy focussed exclusively on the electronic communications sector.

We advise clients on regulation, policy, economics and commercial law. We have a unique multidisciplinary approach, with leading expertise on LAW, POLICY and ECONOMICS in our sector. Key issues like next generation access, spectrum auctions and net neutrality will engage all three disciplines. Regulatory strategy and the two-way relationship between regulation and long-term performance in the sector both sit comfortably across our work.

This section of the website gives some examples of our work. More information - including case studies of particular projects - is available on request.

LAW
Regulatory and competition law:

• Market reviews and SMP conditions (often with our policy and economics practices)
• Authorisations, General Conditions and consumer protection rules
• Enforcement - complaints and disputes (often with our economics practice)
• Defending against regulatory investigations
• Appeals (often with our economics practice)
• EC law and policy
• Statutory interpretation and development (often with our policy practice)
• Compliance programmes
• Fundamental rights law and the internet (universal service, net neutrality, measures against file sharing)
• Auction design
• Interception law and policy
• Network-specific taxation issues
• Street works and electronic communications property issues
• Data and security law

Commercial law:  our general industry expertise and detailed knowledge of the regulatory regime gives us particular insight into the negotiation and drafting of commercial contracts including

• General commercial contract negotiation
• Outsourced drafting and analysis
• Secondments and cover for commercial lawyers
• Outsourcing agreements
• Regulated contracts - we have a particular expertise in drafting and negotiating regulated reference offers for SMP products

ECONOMICS

• Theoretical and applied economics including econometric analysis
• Market analysis and definition
• Modelling - cost modelling expertise with a particular focus on the economics of communications networks
• Incentive-based regulation including RPI-X price control
• Behavioural economics
• Excessive and predatory pricing, margin squeeze
• Price regulation and methodology
• Regulatory accounts
• Confidentiality rings
• IP routing and billing analysis

 

POLICY

• Relations with key stakeholders in regulators and government
• Public policy aspects of regulation - on issues like file sharing, net neutrality and so on
• Universal Service
• Users with special needs and older users
• Government policy and how it differs from policy set by regulators
• Legislative frameworks - what should the law say?
• Developing the message
• Building key contacts and contact programmes
• Auction policy

What we don't do:  we guarantee that we will never step outside our area of expertise. We know what we are good at and we will never claim to be experts in other fields. So you can be sure that we will not pitch for your corporate, property or personal injury work!