Mr. Hane is Counsel in the firm’s Communications practice group.  He concentrates on transactions, spectrum licensing and special projects in electronic media distribution and satellite communications.  Formerly an attorney with a predecessor to the firm, Mr. Hane spent more than a decade as an in-house lawyer, lobbyist, development executive and entrepreneur before returning to private practice with Pillsbury in 2006.

A broadcaster from the age of 15, Mr. Hane has developed a unique portfolio of experience in the business, law and technology of media distribution and satellite communications and has achieved success in a number of complex spectrum allocation and licensing proceedings.  As NBC’s Washington Counsel in the 1990s he played key roles in NBC’s successful efforts to eliminate outdated FCC regulations and enable the transition to digital television broadcasting.

At New World Communications Group Mr. Hane spearheaded the company’s lobbying of the 1996 Communications Act and later shepherded the sale of the company to News Corporation through legal and regulatory approvals, marking one of the fastest approvals of a major News Corporation acquisition in the 90s.

Mr. Hane led domestic and international regulatory affairs for Lockheed Martin’s commercial satellite division, representing Lockheed Martin Telecommunications before the FCC, the ITU, and other regulatory agencies worldwide.

As an executive officer of Pegasus Communications, then the third largest DBS service provider in the US, Mr. Hane was intimately involved in the growth of satellite television into a full service multi-channel video competitor.  He negotiated more than a dozen transactions and strategic joint ventures while at Pegasus, including procurement of a satellite and launch vehicle valued in excess of $200 million.  Mr. Hane led the Pegasus team that launched the first duplex satellite broadband service to be bundled with a DBS service. He was the first to advocate use of Ka band satellite spectrum for delivery of local broadcast stations to DBS customers and was among the first to propose “tweener” assignments in the DBS bands.  Mr. Hane won preferred satellite licenses for Pegasus’ Ka-band FSS satellites and was also the first to obtain rights to use Canadian satellites to broadcast into the US from facilities in the US.

Mr. Hane has counseled institutional investors on industry trends, risks and opportunities, has advised a consumer electronics company on litigation and communications strategy, and has assisted a client in achieving a landmark ruling in a novel antitrust case.  Mr. Hane’s knowledge of the business, technology, law and regulation of the media and telecommunications industries brings a unique perspective to client needs.

Mr. Hane has been awarded US Patent No. 7,308,229, which discloses a system for re-using satellite frequencies for terrestrial wireless services, and is the inventor or co-inventor on several patent applications covering integration of satellite and terrestrial media distribution, electronic sale and fulfillment of digital advertising, secure wireless communications, and asynchronous wideband satellite media distribution.

Education

J.D., University of South Carolina Law School, 1987

B.A., English, College of Charleston, 1981

Admissions

District of Columbia

Affiliations

Federal Communications Bar Association, Society of Satellite Professionals International

Representative Speaking Engagements

Five Steps for Effective Retransmission Negotiations; John K. Hane, Scott R. Flick; via Webinar at Washington, D.C.; 05-Dec-2007

Firm Publications

Upcoming Deadlines Relating to Cable and Satellite Carriage of Television Stations, 25-Jul-2008

FCC Authorizes New National Broadband Network for Public Safety and Sets Rules for $10+ Billion Spectrum Auction, 28-Aug-2007