Energy, Communications & Utilities

The Energy, Communications & Utilities Group has extensive collective experience in helping clients to take advantage of opportunities in the regulated and deregulated energy environments. This enables the Group to assist clients in capitalizing upon the opportunities presented by the emergence of competitive markets, as well as represent utilities and other entities that must manage their business with an eye to the regulatory process.

Our attorneys have practiced before or worked with courts in numerous states and with various state utilities regulators including, but not limited to, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the Illinois Commerce Commission, the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, the Iowa Utilities Board, the Florida Public Service Commission, the District of Columbia Public Service Commission, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, the Maryland Public Service Commission, the Georgia Public Service Commission, the Nebraska Public Service Commission, the Missouri Public Service Commission, the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, and Canadian federal provincial agencies, including the National Energy Board, the Alberta Petroleum Marketing Commission, the Alberta Utilities Board, and Ontario Energy Board.

Attorneys in the group have handled many matters in energy, communications and public utilities law, providing advice and assistance to:

• Investor Owned Electric & Gas Utilities
• Independent Power Providers
• Industrial and Commercial Power Purchasers
• Energy Marketers
• Natural Gas Pipelines
• Renewable Energy Developers
• Wireless Communication Service Providers
• Cable and Cable Telephone Providers
• Voice over Internet Protocol Companies
• Interexchange (Long Distance) Carriers
• Internet Service Providers
• Wholesale (Carrier-to-Carrier) Service Providers
• Water Utilities (Public and Private)

On the Energy side, our experience encompasses the range of regulation of the generation, sale and transportation and transmission of natural gas and electricity, including extensive involvement in rate, tariff, rulemaking, restructuring, and numerous other regulatory proceedings before a wide variety of state, provincial, quasi-governmental and federal regulatory bodies, including the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Regional Transmission Organizations/Independent System Operators, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, the U.S. Department of Energy, the Canadian National Energy Board, and various state regulatory commissions. Our attorneys have also been involved in an array of complex energy and related corporate transactions, such as asset sales, mergers and acquisitions, natural gas purchase and sale contracts, power sales and marketing agreements, and the creation of strategic alliances, joint ventures, and operating agreements. We have experience participating in legislative initiatives, administrative rulemakings, regulatory proceedings and have handled numerous court appeals from regulatory commission decisions. We also have experience advising on electric reliability matters, and representing renewable energy developers, particularly in wind and solar energy production.

On the Communication side, our practice covers the broad range of increasingly converged communications networks, media, and devices. Our practice includes extensive experience with a wide variety of carriers providing innovative voice products, video, and data. Our attorneys have previously assisted clients with telecommunications regulatory work, zoning and land use, tort litigation, and employment matters. We represent major local exchange carriers, national wireless carriers, cable and cable telephony providers, interexchange companies, Voice over Internet Protocol providers, Internet service providers, and a variety of specialty, wholesale and “carriers’ carriers.” We have also represented equipment manufacturers, software companies, and information service providers. Our services in the communication space are as diverse as the carriers we represent – literally from A to Z: administrative law before state regulatory commissions to zoning applications for communications infrastructure. We handle litigation matters in state and federal, trial and appellate courts; we represent clients before legislatures, state and federal regulators, and city and county boards; we also work on contracts with customers, vendors and other carriers.

Our team understands the business and technology context of the wide range of regulated, partially-deregulated, and unregulated markets, and we work with clients to avoid problems and maximize opportunities — from the smallest detail to high-level public policy strategy. Our Energy, Communications and Utilities attorneys also provide critical business context to environmental, employment, land use, litigation, intellectual property and other practices that assist our energy, communications and utilities clients.