Alert 12.14.22
Lee is driven to provide practical, business-oriented advice to his clients on how to navigate the intersection of technology and the law.
Lee Petro, Pillsbury special counsel located in Washington, DC, advises clients in the communications industry, specializing his practice in broadcast, wireless, satellite, and telecommunications companies.
Lee brings over 20 years of experience advising his clients before the Federal Communications Commission. His focuses include regulatory compliance, emerging technologies, transactions, and intellectual property. Lee represents broadcasters and wireless companies on transactional matters, including retransmission consent negotiations, mergers and acquisitions, spectrum leasing and regulatory compliance and enforcement matters. Lee also assists consumer and commercial product companies obtain FCC approval for new uses of spectrum, including experimental licensing and equipment authorizations. Lee worked with public school districts, health care providers and other non-profit entities in obtaining funding from the FCC and the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) for broadband and telehealth connectivity projects. In addition, Lee is a regular contributor to CommLawCenter.com, Pillsbury’s one-stop resource center covering a wide array of communications law matters.
Representative Experience
- Advised broadcasters on strategies for FCC Incentive Auction and related post-Incentive Auction repack issues.
- Provided advice to IPTV and over-the-top video service providers regarding compliance with FCC rules, including developing a comprehensive compliance program for a new IPTV provider.
- Advise companies on the adoption and implementation of distributed ledger and blockchain technologies, focusing on advertising, supply chain and insurance industries.
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- Advised Schindler Elevator on hardware equipment due diligence and equipment authorization work for IoT device to monitor and send telematic information for elevators and escalators.
- Advised PupLinx on FCC waiver and hardware due diligence and related labeling work for devices using Ultra-Wideband, 5G and GPS technology for invisible fence and tracking of pets.
- Reviewed hardware certification requirements and compliance presentations for US, Europe and Asia jurisdictions for consumer product companies and industrial manufacturers.
Professional Highlights
- Recognized by The Legal 500 U.S., Telecoms and Broadcast: Regulatory (2019)
- Selected by Law360 to their Telecommunications Editorial Advisory Board (2017-2020)
- Recipient of Catholic Law’s Law and Technology Institute Alumni Association (LTIAA) annual Pay it Forward Award
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- Member of the Washington Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs Board of Directors (2019-2022)
- Member of the Washington Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs Board of Trustees (2014-2018)
- Associations
- Federal Communications Bar Association
- Executive Board – Immediate Past President, 2019-2020; President, 2018-2019; President-Elect, 2017-2018; Treasurer, 2016-2017; Assistant Treasurer, 2015-2016; Secretary, 2014-2015; Assistant Secretary, 2013-2014.
- Continuing Legal Education Committee - Co-Chair: 2003-2005, 2011-2013
- Constitution and By-laws Committee - Co-Chair: 2008-2010
- National Telecommunications Moot Court Competition Committee - Co-Chair: 2001-2003, 2014-2016.
- Federal Communications Bar Association Foundation
- Chairman, 2007-2008, Treasurer, 2006-2007, Assistant Treasurer, 2005-2006, Co-Chair, Scholarship Committee, 2005-2007, 2012-2013
- Federal Communications Bar Association
- Speaking Engagements
- Presentation – National Association of Broadcasters, Political Broadcasting 2020, May 13, 2020, Washington, DC.
- Presentation - Reinsurance Industry Association, Blockchain Technology in Reinsurance Industry, October 12, 2017, New York, N.Y.
- Presentation – broadbandIllinois.org Telehealth Law Forum Series, Funding for Telehealth Services Telehealth Law Forum Series, September 12, 2017, Chicago, Ill.
- Presentation – CASRIP Innovation Policy Summer Institute, Cybersecurity Issues in the Health Care Industry, July 10, 2017, University of Washington School of Law, Seattle, Wash.
- Blog Posts
- “5G Technology and the IoT Introduce New Regulatory and Security Concerns for Developers,” Pillsbury’s Gravel2Gavel, May 17, 2022
- FCC Grants First Wave of Funding for COVID-19 Telehealth Programs, April 16, 2020.
- Executive Order Establishes New Committee to Review Foreign Investment in Communications Companies, co-authors Glenn Richards, Jessica Nyman, Christopher Wall, Nancy Fischer, Matthew Rabinowitz, Zachary Rozen, April 10, 2020.
- FCC Opens New Filing Window For Displaced Rural LPTV Applicants, December 2, 2019.
- Ready, Set, File! Broadcast Biennial Ownership Report Filing Window Opens November 1st, October 30, 2019.
- FM Broadcast Auction on the Horizon, October 11, 2019.
- FCC Alters Filing Schedule for Biennial Broadcast Ownership Reports, September 17, 2019.
- A Look at This Week’s Changes to the FCC’s KidVid Rules, co-author Lauren Lynch Flick, July 12, 2019.
- C-Band Certification Deadline Nearing, April 22, 2019.
- Deadline to Avoid Pre-1972 Sound Recording Statutory Damages Is Almost Here, April 8, 2019.
- FCC Eliminates EEO Mid-Term Report Filings, February 14, 2019.
- FCC Retunes Rules For Citizens Broadband Radio Service, October 29, 2018.
- Show Me the Money: FCC Launches Repack Reimbursement Proceeding for LPTV, TV Translator, and FM Stations, August 6, 2018.
Education
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J.D., The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law
COMMLAW CONSPECTUS: Journal of Communications Law & Policy; Editor-in-Chief: 1996-1997; Author: A New Trial For Solomon: Comparative Hearings after Bechtel II, Volume 4, No. 2 (1996)B.A., Michigan State University
Admissions
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District of Columbia
Maryland