Michael H. Pryor

Michael Pryor is a Member of the Firm’s Communications Practice where he represents cable, telecommunications and wireless companies in federal and state regulatory proceedings, litigation and transactions. Mr. Pryor has a deep understanding of the regulatory process, developed in part while serving as the deputy chief of the policy division in the Federal Communication Commission’s Wireline Competition Bureau from 1996 to 1999. While there, he drafted rules implementing local competition provisions of the 1996 Telecommunications Act and spearheaded reviews of major proceedings, such as Worldcom’s merger with MCI. Mr. Pryor has particular expertise in the area of broadband and wireless regulation, VoIP, and network access. He also written and presented extensively on smart grid privacy and third party data access issues.

Areas of Specialization and Representative Experience

Telecommunications Regulation and Litigation 

• Advise companies on regulatory compliance, including VoIP, universal service, and privacy requirements. 
• Represented competitive local exchange carriers and their primary trade association in FCC rulemakings related to special access, access to unbundled network elements, and regulation of Internet access and broadband services.
• Represented a coalition of mid-tier cable companies in successfully advocating for conditions to the BellSouth/AT&T merger that facilitated negotiation of interconnection agreements. 
• Successfully argued before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to overturn FCC order imposing damages on network platform provider for payphone compensation. 
• Represented competitive local exchange carriers and prepaid calling card provider in appellate litigation regarding access to unbundled network element and imposition of retroactive universal service fees. 
• Represented carriers in bringing and defending FCC formal and informal complaints relating to network access and payphone compensation. 
• Represented wireless providers in proceedings involving roaming, network interoperability and interconnection.
• Represented and advised cable companies, interexchange carriers and prepaid calling card providers in complex access charge disputes and rulemakings before the FCC and state commissions.

Transactions 

• Represent carriers and private equity firms in conducting regulatory due diligence related to acquisition of communications companies and assets. 
• Negotiated section 252 interconnection agreements on behalf of competitive local exchange carriers and wireless providers. 
• Negotiated numerous private telecommunications services contracts, including local and long-haul optical fiber contracts, IRUs, collocation and tower siting.

Presentations and Articles

• Presenter, Wireless Issues Effecting Cable Companies at the 2011 and 2012, Practicing Law Institute Broadband and Cable Industry Law Seminar. 
• Host and Presenter, Department of Energy Smart Grid Privacy Workshop, January 31, 2012. 
• Presenter, Webinar on Distributed Antenna Systems for college campuses to ACUTA - The Association for Information Communications Professionals in Higher Education, Dec. 6, 2011. 
• Presenter, The Scope of the FCC’s Net Neutrality Order, Federal Communication Bar Association CLE, October 17, 2011.