THE COMMLAW GROUP TEAMS WITH SURETAX AND TAXCONNEX TO OFFER CLOUD COMMPLIANCE SOLUTION; A CLOUD-BASED,PROFESSIONALLY SERVICED COMPREHENSIVE TAX AND REGULATORY COMPLIANCE SOLUTION
THE COMMLAW GROUP INTRODUCES REVOLUTIONARY 4-STEP INTELLIGENT COMPLIANCE PROGRAM
The CommLaw Group is synonymous with Communications Law. It's in our name, it's what we do.
For Regulatory Compliance Administration and Consultative Services, visit our affiliate:
For details regarding our popular 4-Step Program to ensure intelligent and sustainable regulatory compliance,click here.
Together with The Commpliance Group (our affiliated compliance administration and consulting services arm), our family of professional services firms provides a full spectrum of compliance services to a variety of communications industry sectors, including hosted VoIP, SaaS, CaaS and other "Cloud Communications" services, traditional long distance, competitive local exchange & access, and other wireline services, interconnected VoIP, non-Interconnected VoIP and other Internet Protocol and SIP-enabled enhanced communications, broadband and Internet Access, wireless, satellite, e-commerce, as well as information technology and equipment manufacturers. From affordable, fixed-fee compliance administration all the way to complex legal services, our unique business model and revolutionary professional services delivery methodologies allows us to fulfill practically every requirement or issue arising under federal and state telecommunications laws and regulations.
Whether you are engaged in traditional or cutting-edge sectors of the telecommunications industry, our distinct and innovative brand of legal representation is precisely what you need to guide your company to safe shores.
Our attorneys routinely counsel clients on a broad assortment of Federal Communications Commission ("FCC"), state utility commission, and other domestic and international regulatory requirements impacting diverse industry sectors. We have counseled clients on a wide range of interdisciplinary issues arising from technological convergence, including market entry issues, regulation, taxation, intellectual property matters, transactional issues and litigation matters.
We have provided expert advice on complex telecommunications regulatory issues, from initial FCC licensing and state registration to compliance with FCC and state telecommunications regulations. The firm also addresses broad policy questions, such as the FCC's regulation of Voice of Internet Protocol ("VoIP") and broadband services, and represents clients in administrative agency and civil litigation, including matters involving interconnection, access, and the Universal Service Fund ("USF"), to name just a few.
The firm's Telecommunications, VoIP and Advanced Communications Services practice covers each aspect of your business throughout its life cycle, from regulatory and commercial matters to litigation and lobbying:
One of the firm's most popular services for IP-enabled communications services, notably VoIP and broadband service providers, has been our "4-Step Comprehensive Regulatory Compliance Program." Through this Compliance Program, the firm helps both new market entrants and established IP-enabled service providers ensure that they are in compliance with FCC and state telecommunications regulations, including USF regulations, USAC Form 499 reporting requirements, Customer Proprietary Network Information ("CPNI") rules, and related telecommunications obligations.
The dynamic communications services & technology industries are in the midst of an extraordinary transformation driven by technological convergence and shifting political winds. You need specialized counselors who understand the industries and technologies, the issues and the politics, and who recognize the value each client expects to receive for its legal and regulatory compliance dollars. You need advisors who stay ahead of the curve, who are agile and adaptive enough to intelligently counsel you through these most turbulent of times.
Click here to read more about technological convergence and the legal, regulatory and political implications of the global migration towards an "Everything over IP" communications environment.
The CommLaw Group and its sister regulatory compliance consulting firm, The Commpliance Group, have over two decades worth of experience assisting traditional telecommunications service providers, interconnected VoIP providers, broadband service providers, and advanced IP-enabled communications service providers comply with FCC and state telecommunications regulations. Through our vast experience combined with cost-effective service, we offer invaluable ways to help you manage the regulatory obligations facing virtually all communications service providers.
The range of regulatory services offered by our firms, individually and often times in tandem, apply to each stage of the "Regulatory Life Cycle." From 214 licensing and 499 registration, state telecommunications licensing and helping carriers enter the market through the procurement of other necessary licenses and registrations, to tariffing your communications services, to monitoring and analyzing rule changes that affect your business, to preparing the reports you must file to maintain your certification status – The CommLaw Group / Commpliance Group family is the only resource you need for total telecommunications regulatory compliance.
THE COMMLAW GROUP'S COMPREHENSIVE COMPLIANCE METHODOLOGY
Our Firm recognizes that carriers entering or operating in the communications services industry are confronted with a multitude of diverse compliance issues, both regulatory and taxation.
New entrants and even established businesses with less than ideal compliance records must achieve an acceptable level of regulatory and tax compliance. This entails pursuing governmental licenses, registrations and authorizations, identifying and correcting deficiencies, and taking other measures to ensure your company is well-positioned to maintain compliance in the future. Achieving a comfortable level of compliance often starts with an audit and analysis to determine the proper regulatory classification of your company's business and services; in this day of technological convergence and regulatory uncertainty, knowing what services are provided and how those service are regulated and taxed by the respective governmental bodies is a critical first step.
But the responsibilities of regulated communications service providers do not end upon achieving compliance. Once obtained, compliance must be maintained through a seemingly endless array of administrative burdens, including reporting, filing and fee remittances for both regulatory and tax purposes.
Determining the scope of your company's compliance obligations, identifying lawful methods of mitigating compliance burdens and implementing compliance measures is one of The CommLaw Group's unique skills. And through our firm's Compliance Division (aka, The Commpliance Group), we provide a cost-effective, one-stop solution designed to meet all of your regulatory and tax compliance maintenance needs.
The securing of necessary federal and state licenses, registrations and other authorizations is an essential first step for market entry by competitive telecommunications providers. Not only is FCC and state licensing an important step from a compliance perspective, but obtaining and maintaining required licenses gives wholesale suppliers, carrier partners, customers and investors the comfort needed to grow and sustain competitive telecommunications businesses. Our firm has extensive experience representing domestic and multi-national telecommunications providers with the full panoply of their licensing needs, including:
At our firm, we understand that many domestic and international companies entering the U.S. telecommunications market have limited resources which are primarily dedicated to funding and building their businesses.
We offer affordable certification and licensing options for all telecommunications services (CLEC, IXC, prepaid calling) and interconnected VoIP providers, including multi-state discounts, blended rates and even capped fee arrangements, where deemed appropriate. Our attorneys also are well-versed in assisting providers with foreign ownership issues, navigating and responding to the heightened review process implemented by the Departments of Homeland Security and Justice. We even assist competitive providers obtain necessary licenses and approvals from the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunication Commission ("CRTC"), the Canadian equivalent to the FCC.
Our Telecommunications Practice Group assists telecommunications providers with almost every facet of compliance with state and federal regulatory requirements and obligations. A provider's regulatory obligations are largely dependent on the classification of its services. In an industry that is undergoing rapid change, ingrained regulatory regimes often fail to keep pace with ever-evolving technology and services. As a result, many providers of new and developing services are left bewildered as to the proper classification of their services and their resulting regulatory obligations.
Let the experts at our firm apply their expansive knowledge and innovative techniques to not only help you recognize the appropriate regulatory classification of your company's services and the consequences thereof, but to also identify intelligent and sustainable methods of reducing the regulatory impact, both financial and administrative.
Through a unique arrangement with its sister regulatory compliance consulting firm, The Commpliance Group, we also provide nationwide regulatory Compliance & Reporting Services to ensure clients fulfill all federally and state-mandated reporting, filing and fee remittance obligations. For more information about The Commpliance Group, please visit www.CommplianceGroup.com.
In association with The Commpliance Group, our firm helps clients comply with the following requirements:
Our firm advises clients on a variety of transactional matters, involving a full range of corporate, tax, securities, intellectual property, antitrust, and related issues. We advise on mergers, acquisitions, and joint ventures of telecommunications companies, and on service agreements, equipment contracts, and other commercial contracts essential to the ordinary course of a telecommunications business. Having established successful relationships with various investment banks and venture capital funds, we are also able to provide introductions to sources of financing, strategic partners, and content providers.
We have also helped clients with the transfer or assignment of existing licenses, assets and operations, both at the federal and state levels. There are typically three types of transactions in the communications sector which give rise to regulatory considerations. These are:
A transfer of control involves a change in ownership of the licensee, but the name of the licensed entity does not change. Asset sales usually entail the transfer of assets from one regulated entity to another, and an assignment involves moving the license from one entity to another.
Many regulatory bodies, including the FCC, do not permit a telecommunications license or regulated assets to be transferred or assigned without prior approval. Since 1994, we have assisted dozens of clients in successfully transferring or assigning telecommunications licenses and assets, including the transfer of Qwest’s in-region interexchange assets and licenses to Touch America, which facilitated Qwest's acquisition of US West.
Compliance obligations do not end once a company has ceased providing services. Indeed, companies that change hands, enter bankruptcy, or wind down their businesses have important regulatory obligations before they can stop providing telecommunications services. This is particularly true of carriers who have obtained 214 Licenses, USAC Filer IDs, and 499 registration, and state telecommunications licenses because failing to alert the regulators and obtain required discontinuance authorization can result in significant delays, serious fines and enforcement actions.
Our attorneys are experienced in assisting clients in fulfilling FCC and State regulatory obligations related to winding down a business, transferring control or ownership, or modifying or reducing services, including securing FCC 214 discontinuance authority.
Agreements between businesses are among the most important assets a company can have. Anyone who's been through an acquisition knows that the buyer is keenly interested in the terms and conditions of the seller's agreements -- both with customers and with vendors. The terms are important, particularly for large purchases or sales of goods or services, and for strategic transactions like resale or joint marketing arrangements. Striking the right balance in negotiating these transactions is an art. And doing it artfully requires experience.
The attorneys at our firm are experienced and knowledgeable negotiators. From multi-million dollar telecommunications deals, to equipment purchase agreements, to resale agreements and many others, we have drafted and negotiated literally hundreds of contracts, and as a result have a deep understanding of a wide variety of transactions.
Strategic Business Planning & Advice
A sensible business plan defines a business, identifies goals, and serves as a basic recipe for success. The threshold requirements for enterprising individuals include developing sound business, financial, and marketing plans, as well as gaining an understanding of pertinent laws, regulations and licensing requirements. With very few exceptions, every business begins as a small business. Some stay small; others experience positive and sustained growth. Good business planning is focused on a vision of the future while recognizing available resources and financial realities. We help businesses get off to a good start. We advise our clients about the legal and practical issues associated with business law, and help them answer questions relating to:
Where administrative action has been insufficient to satisfy the client's needs or when overly-zealous regulators investigate or seek sanctions against our clients, our firm has litigated a variety of federal and state telecommunications law matters in court and before federal and state regulatory agencies.
FCC and State Public Utility Commission (“PUC”) Enforcement Practice
FCC
A major part of The CommLaw Group’s Telecommunications & Technology Practice involves litigation before the FCC on behalf of its clients. This includes many different types of proceedings, ranging from informal correspondence and meetings with FCC staff, or paper proceedings, to mediations and FCC-supervised negotiations, all the way to formal discovery and hearings before FCC decision-makers and administrative law judges. Some of the most common types of litigation in which The CommLaw Group engages on behalf of its clients include:
In August of 2007, the FCC strengthened its oversight of the USF, disclosing that at least 460 compliance audits were underway, targeting contributors and recipients alike. The FCC's goal is to attack fraud, waste, and abuse. Despite industry protestations regarding USAC's abuse of its authority and calls for an overhaul of the USF system, USAC continues to aggressively enforce evolving Form 499 instructions with full FCC backing. In this uncertain and treacherous environment, your company needs counsel that is steeped in experience dealing with and responding to every aspect of a USAC audit. Our firm represents carriers aggrieved by adverse USAC audit decisions before the Wireline Competition Bureau of the FCC and is well-versed in the byzantine Form 499-A instructions, including the Carrier’s Carrier Rule.
State PUC
Our firm has also represented, defended and litigated on behalf of clients before state regulatory agencies in nearly every state. From Utility Commissions to Attorneys General, our firm has the litigation experience to guide our clients towards cost-effective resolutions of regulatory and consumer actions. We also represent clients in all facets of Utility Commission proceedings, including arbitrations, mediations, formal and informal complaint proceedings, and rulemakings.
While our firm offers the services of experienced litigation attorneys, the most efficient and economical method of resolving a dispute will not always require resort to the judicial system. We seek to tailor the dispute resolution procedure to meet the needs and interests of the client on a case-by-case basis, and are experienced in alternatives to traditional litigation that include:
Please visit our Dispute Resolution and Litigation practice page for more information.
Our firm's "inside the beltway" location provides our clients with ready access to Washington, D.C. decision-makers. Whether our clients require assistance lobbying Congress or Executive Branch agencies, including the Federal Communications Commission, our attorneys are experienced advocates and guide our clients through the optimal channels.
Representative experiences include:
Back to Top