Michael Bennet has been advocating for and advising companies across the communications spectrum for over 30 years. Michael began his career in the pre-divestiture world as a broadcast attorney assisting radio and television stations with their licensing and transactional needs, as well as litigating in comparative hearings, before expanding his practice to servicing public utilities, petroleum companies, and providers of wireline and wireless telecommunications and broadband services.
As a founding member of a successful boutique telecommunications law firm known for strongly defending its clients’ interests for over 20 years, Michael has a wealth of experience serving domestic and international wireline, wireless and broadband telecommunications carriers, as well as commercial and noncommercial broadcasters. He guides clients through all aspects of regulatory compliance, including structuring business transactions that comply with federal and state regulations, and has steered clients to successful outcomes in both forward and reverse spectrum auctions.
Michael has worked extensively in all facets of E911 compliance and advocacy, at both the federal and state levels, and regularly assists and represents companies in formal and informal proceedings before the Federal Communication Commission’s Enforcement Bureau. Michael advises companies on Lifeline and Universal Service Fund issues and represents associations, corporations, cooperatives, universities, and entrepreneurs in FCC rulemaking proceedings and licensing proceedings, as well as advising entities interested in the use of unlicensed spectrum. Michael has represented various trade associations in proceedings before the FCC and the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and has represented companies before state public utility commissions.
Experience
Any result the lawyer or law firm may have achieved on behalf of clients in other matters does not necessarily indicate similar results can be obtained for other clients.
- Developed and executed the FCC auction strategy resulting in a noncommercial broadcast television client obtaining $157 million from the federal government, while retaining its broadcast license.
- Assisted numerous wireless telecommunications companies in negotiating settlements with the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau on various issues that resulted in substantial reductions in the financial penalty originally proposed by the FCC
- Successfully defended wireless telecommunications company against a $100,000 penalty sought by the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau.
- Participated in FCC rulemakings on behalf of wireless carrier trade association, persuading the agency to modify some of its proposed regulations.
- Obtained numerous waivers of FCC rules for companies seeking to avoid stringent regulatory obligations.
More Legal and Business Bylines From Michael R. Bennet
- FCC Proposes More Frequent Scrutiny of International Section 214 Authorization Holders; Industry Sternly Objects - (Posted On Thursday, November 02, 2023)
- FCC Announces Filing Procedures for Educational Institutions to Apply for New Noncommercial FM Broadcast Licenses - (Posted On Wednesday, August 25, 2021)
- Biden Signs Executive Order Reshaping Competition for Tech and the Internet - (Posted On Friday, July 09, 2021)
- FCC Enforcement Bureau Targets Landlords That Allow “Pirate” Broadcasting from Their Properties, Threatens Significant Fines - (Posted On Monday, January 11, 2021)
- Radio, Radio: FM Radio Licenses Soon to be Available to Educational Institutions - (Posted On Thursday, January 07, 2021)
- Federal Court Finds Cybersecurity Forensic Report Not Privileged Under Attorney Work Product Doctrine - (Posted On Friday, June 12, 2020)
- DOJ Approves Sprint/T-Mobile Merger with Divestitures to Dish Network; State AGs Lawsuit Still in Play - (Posted On Friday, August 16, 2019)
- FCC Returns, New Filing Deadline Guidance - (Posted On Wednesday, January 30, 2019)