Christopher S. Huther

Chris Huther is a partner in the Business Trials Practice Group in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office and is the co-leader of the firm’s Communications practice.

Areas of Practice

Mr. Huther is an experienced litigator, appearing regularly before federal and state trial and appellate courts, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and other federal and state regulatory agencies.  Mr. Huther also appears on behalf of clients in a variety of alternative dispute resolution settings, including arbitrations and mediations.  Mr. Huther specializes in, and regularly represents domestic and international telecommunications companies and equipment manufacturers in, proceedings before federal and state regulatory agencies on a broad range of issues including local telephone competition and policy.  Mr. Huther counsels clients on compliance with state and federal regulations, the development of regulatory strategies, the negotiation and drafting of interconnection, joint use, and service agreements, and has substantial experience in the development, defense and critique of telecommunications cost models and methodologies.  In addition, Mr. Huther has a great deal of experience advancing his clients’ interests on Capitol Hill and before federal agencies, including the FCC, Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Department of Commerce, State Department, and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Mr. Huther serves on the Board of Directors of the International Telecommunications Society and is on the Advisory Board for Pike & Fisher’s Communications Environmental & Land Use Report (CELULR).

Education

• J.D., Georgetown University Law Center, 1992
• B.S., Radford University, 1988, cum laude

Representative Counseling and Litigation Experience

Communications

Counsel to GTE in connection with arbitration proceedings under the Telecommunications Act of 1996.

Counsel to GTE, Verizon and SBC in state utility commission interconnection cost and pricing proceedings.

Counsel to GTE and Verizon in federal and state universal service fund proceedings.

Counsel to GTE, Verizon and SBC in development, defense, and critique of telecommunications cost models.

Counsel to Verizon in pole attachment litigation.

Counsel to Verizon in intercarrier compensation litigation.

Counsel to Telstra Corp. in connection with Australian universal service fund proceedings.

Counsel to Everett Laboratories, Inc. in Telephone Consumer Protection Act litigation.

Counsel to equipment manufacturers on federal and state regulatory matters.

Aviation

Counsel to numerous foreign airlines in challenges to new airport terminal charges at Newark International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport.

General Litigation

Experience includes trial and appellate representation of corporate and individual clients on a broad array of civil and criminal matters.

Honors

• Washington SmartCEO, Legal Elite, Readers Pick Top Local Attorneys, December 2009
• Legal 500, 2010

Memberships

• Board of Directors, International Telecommunications Society
• Advisory Board, Pike & Fisher’s Communications Environmental & Land Use Report (CELULR)
• American Bar Association
• DC Bar Association
• Federal Communications Bar Association

Articles

"A Legal and Economic Justification for a Uniform Pole Attachment Rate.  Part III:  Establishing a Reasonable Pole Attachment Rate," Communications Environmental & Land Us Law Report (CELULR), Vol. 12, No. 1, January 2009

"A Legal and Economic Justification for a Uniform Pole Attachment Rate.  Part II:  The Industry Players React," Communications Environmental & Land Us Law Report (CELULR), Vol. 11, No. 12, December 2008

"A Legal and Economic Justification for a Uniform Pole Attachment Rate.  Part I:  The History and Current State of Joint Use," Communications Environmental & Land Us Law Report (CELULR), Vol. 11, No. 11, November 2008

"Success in the Global Marketplace?" The National Law Journal, Vol. 23, No. 10, October 30, 2000

"Reciprocal Compensation: Will Revenues for ISP–bound Traffic Soon Dry Up?" The Party Line, Vol. 3 No. 4, September 2000

FCC Law Blog Articles

• "Comments Received In FCC Reclassification Proceeding," July 22, 2010
• "Replacement of the Legacy High-Cost Universal Support Fund with a Connect America Fund: Key Economic and Legal Considerations", May 4, 2010
• "FCC Loses Net Neutrality Suit", April 7, 2010
• "National Broadband Plan Recommends Lower, Uniform Pole Attachment Rates", March 23, 2010
• "FCC Initiates Net Neutrality Rulemaking", November 2, 2009
• "D.C. Circuit Strikes Down Cable Ownership Cap", September 10, 2009
• "Increased Prospects for Broadband Deployment under Obama", December 18, 2008
• "Senate Passes FISA Bill With Telecom Immunity", July 16, 2008
• "FCC Steps Up DTV Enforcement", April 17, 2008 
• "Incumbents Big Winners in 700 MHz Auction", April 1, 2008 

Speeches

• "Mobile Business Model," Panel Moderator, International Telecommunications Society, 18th Biennial Conference, Tokyo, Japan (June 29, 2010)
• "ILEC Rate Issues: Groundhog Day?," UTC Telecom 2010, Indianapolis, Indiana (May 26, 2010)
• "The National Broadband Plan: Recommendations," Heartland Conference, Columbus, Ohio (May 5, 2010)
• "Best Practices for Managing Deposition Value and Minimizing Deposition Expenses," Council on Litigation Management Annual Conference, Ponte Vedra, Florida (March 25, 2010)
• "Telco Perspective on FCC Proceedings," Heartland Joint Use Webinar (November 18, 2009)
• "Joint Use: A Legal Primer for Telcos," National Telecommunications Cooperative Association's Annual Conference, San Diego, California (November 6, 2009)
• "Different Perspectives: ILECs, Muni's and Coops," Utilities Telecom Council, Joint Use Workshop 2009, Arlington, Virginia (November 2, 2009)
• Panelist, "Joint Legal Use Forum," and Speaker, "The ILEC's Perspective on the FCC's Pole Attachment NPRM," Western Energy Institute, 2009 Joint Use Conference, Boise, Idaho (September 29, 2009)
• "The Pole Attachment Survival Guide: Navigating the New Joint Use Environment," Featured Speaker at Interactive Webinar hosted by Pike & Fisher (March 25, 2009)
• "The Future of Joint Use in a Uniform Rate World," Wisconsin Utilities Association, 2009 Joint Use Conference, Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin (March 18, 2009)
• “Joint Use: Lessons Learned and a Look Ahead,” Heartland Conference, Akron, Ohio (November 18, 2008)
• “Pole Attachments: An ILEC Perspective,” Utilities Telecom Council, 2008 Joint Use and Pole Attachment Conference, Phoenix, Arizona (October 27, 2008)
• "The ILEC Perspective on Joint Use", Western Energy Institute, 2008 Joint Use Conference, Salt Lake City, Utah (September 16, 2008)
• “Telecom Year in Review: Regulatory and Legislative Developments in the United States,” International Telecommunications Society, 17th Biennial Conference, Montreal, Canada (June 26, 2008)
• Chairman, Center for International Legal Studies, High–Tech Law: E–Commerce, Information Technology, and Telecommunications Conference, Kitzbuhel, Austria, (January 12–18, 2003)
• "Universal Service Funding: The Financial Impact of Changes in the FCC's Program on Landline and Wireless Carriers and End Users," Seventh Annual Law Seminars International Telecommunications Conference, Seattle, Washington, (April 4–5, 2002)
• "Funding Universal Service: From Monopoly Providers to Competitive Markets," Cable/Telecommunications Convergence Conference, Atlanta, Georgia (November 16–17, 2000)
• "Transitioning to Competitive Markets: Lessons Learned in the United States," Conference on the International Provision of Services and Sale of Goods, Salzburg, Austria (October 26–29, 2000)
• "The Venezuelan Telecommunications Market: Defining a Regulatory & Corporate Strategy," Washington, DC (October 11, 2000)
• "Navigating Global Telecommunications Markets: The Methods and Consequences of Industry Re–Regulation," International Telecommunications Law Conference, Kaprun, Austria (May 7, 2000)
• "Telecommunications and E–Commerce: Adapting Telecommunications to Data Driven Networks," Seminar Co–Chair, sponsored by Law Seminars International, Washington, DC (September 23–24, 1999)
• "Costing Models: The Black Box Revealed?, ALTS '97 Convention and Trade Exposition– Local Competitive Services: Filling the Void, Atlanta, Georgia (November 2–4, 1997)