Brian D. Weimer

Brian Weimer is a corporate partner in the firm's Washington, DC office and Head of the firm's Telecommunications Team

Areas of Practice

Mr. Weimer acts as corporate and regulatory counsel to telecommunications companies in M&A and financing matters and also advises on Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulatory issues presented by these transactions. Mr. Weimer has over twenty years of experience practicing before CFIUS. He has been selected for inclusion in Best Lawyers in America for Communications Law and is routinely recognized by Chambers.

Experience

CFIUS

• CFIUS counsel to Xerox in connection with its transformative transaction with Fuji.
• CFIUS counsel to Ness in connection with the sale of the company to HNA Group (now in ground-breaking litigation).
• CFIUS counsel to Belgacom in connection with the acquisition of a US-based software company.
• CFIUS advice to Astra Capital Management in connection with acquisition of a U.S.-based telecom operator.
• CFIUS advice to a global satellite operator in connection with foreign investment into its U.S.-based subsidiary.
• CFIUS advice to Symantec in connection with the sale of the Veritas information management business to the Carlyle Group, an $8B transaction.
• CFIUS and FCC counsel to Providence Equity Partners in its acquisition of SRA.
• CFIUS counsel to Keane International in its acquisition by NTT DATA Corporation.
• CFIUS counsel to European private equity group BC Partners connection with the $16B leveraged buyout of Intelsat, the world's largest fixed satellite service provider.
• CFIUS advice to Apollo Global Management in connection with the acquisition of a satellite company.

Honors

Washington, D.C. Super Lawyer, 2018

Recognized Practitioner, Telecommunications, Chambers USA, 2017

Media, Technology and Telecoms, Legal 500, 2010-2017

Best Lawyer in America, Best Lawyers, 2014-2018

Legal Elite, SmartCEO Magazine, 2011

Articles

• "Why CFIUS Intervened In Broadcom’s Bid For Qualcomm," Law360, March 20, 2018
• "Key Considerations in Hosted Payloads," Satellite Finance, November 14, 2016
• "Complying with Laws that Affect Domestic and International Telecommunications Businesses," Inside the Minds: Recent Developments in Telecommunications Law, (c) 2013 Aspatore Books from Thomson Reuters Westlaw. Reproduced by permission. To purchase the book and to see the full chapter, please click here.
• "Loosening Satellite Export Controls," Law360, May 4, 2012
• "Key Details of CFIUS 2010 Annual Report," The Deal, January 25, 2012
• "Foreign Investment in China's Telecommunications Industry: Current Opportunities, Potential Barriers, and Future Prospects," presented at the 18th Biennial Conference of the International Telecommunications Society, June 28, 2010.
• Periodic contributor to Via Satellite magazine, including Twenty Years of Via Satellite: How the Commercial Satellite Industry Recaptured Public Attention (2006)
• The Year in Wireless Telecommunications 2005-2006, 24th Annual Institute on Telecommunications Policy & Regulation (2006)
• Legal Opinions in Corporate Transactions Affected by FCC Regulation: An Economic Approach, 51 Federal Communications Law Journal 773 (1999)

FCC Law Blog Posts

• "FCC Sets Sights on China," May 7, 2018
• "Chips on Their Shoulders: CFIUS Intervenes in Broadcom’s Hostile Takeover Bid for Qualcomm," March 8, 2017
• "FCC Proposes Expedited Treatment For New Technologies," February 28, 2018 
• "Tracking Trends in CFIUS Review Process Based on Recently Released 2015 Annual Report," October 13, 2017
• "TCPA Update: FCC Seeks Guidance on Proposed Robocall-Blocking Rule," May 19, 2017
• "FCC Liberalizes Rules for Foreign Investment in U.S. Broadcast Licensees," October 17, 2016
• "Hailing on All Frequencies: The FCC Releases the Spectrum Frontiers Order," July 19, 2016
• "EXIM Bank Back in Business," December 9, 2015
• "Cyberspace Oddity: The FCC Regulates Internet Services as Common Carrier Telecommunications Services, ‘Protecting and Promoting the Open Internet,’” February 27, 2015.
• "Turnin’ Havana to Atlanta: The White House Opens Doors for U.S. Telecommunications Investment in Cuba and Latin America," December 19, 2014
• "The FCC Takes a Seat at the Cyber-Regulation Table," December 1, 2014
• "Shedding Light on CFIUS: Appeals Court Holds That CFIUS Review Lacks Constitutional Due Process," July 18, 2014
• "Supreme Court Sides with Broadcasters in Aereo Decision," June 30, 2014
• "Once More Unto the Breach: the FCC Calls for Comments on Revamping Net Neutrality Regulations," May 16, 2014
• "Regulatory Reminder: Annual CVAA Compliance Certifications due April 1," February 25, 2014
• "Auction 96 - FCC Prepares for Upcoming H Block Spectrum Auction," August 28, 2013
• "FCC Considers Proposal To Lift 25% Cap On Indirect Foreign Investment In Broadcast Licensees," April 22, 2013
• "Regulatory Reminder: CVAA Compliance Certifications due April 1," March 26, 2013
• "FCC Reminds Advanced Communications Services Providers and Equipment Manufacturers of CVAA Recordkeeping Obligations and Compliance Certification," February 12, 2013
• "FCC's New Closed Captioning Rules Kick Into Gear," September 7, 2012
• "Proposed Easing of Satellite Export Controls Could Benefit U.S. Satellite Industry," May 1, 2012
• "FCC Proposes to Grant DISH's Wish," March 23, 2012
• "CFIUS Submits Annual Report to Congress," January 30, 2012
• "FCC Approves Controversial Net Neutrality Rules," January 4, 2011
• "FCC And FDA Focused On Convergence Of Communications And Medical Systems," August 4, 2010
• "FCC Loses Net Neutrality Suit," April 7, 2010
• "FCC Initiates Net Neutrality Rulemaking," November 2, 2009

Books

Media Mentions

Speaking Engagements

• Panelist, We Found a Breach During Due Diligence - Now What Do We Do?, M&A Conference at Wharton San Francisco (May 16, 2018).
• Moderator, Angels, Incubators, and Early Stage Venture Capital, Space 2.0 Conference, Silicon Valley, CA (April 26, 2017).
• Moderator, Legal Mechanisms for Facilitating Space Collaboration, 5th Annual Space and Satellite Regulatory Colloquium, Washington, DC (October 20, 2016).
• Panelist, Emergent Space Systems: Regulatory Considerations, SSPI's Emergent Technologies Discussion, Washington, DC (June 2016).
• Guest Speaker, 4th Annual Space and Satellite Regulatory Colloquium, Washington, DC (October 2015).
• Panelist, Disruption in Space and Telecommunication, American Bar Association's Forum on Air and Space Law, Washington, DC (June 2013).
• Moderator, Tribal Telecommunications Hurdles and Opportunities, NAFOA Conference, New Orleans, LA (March 2012).
• Panelist, The Battle Over Spectrum and Its Implications for the Future of MSS Networks, Satellite 2012 Conference, Washington, DC (March 2012).
• San Diego Daily Transcript, George Chamberlin Interview with Michael Altschul, Brian Weimer, San Diego Source, San Diego, CA (October 2011).
• Panelist, Opportunities and Threats for a New Decade, Satellite 2010 Conference, Washington, DC (March 2010).
• Moderator, Satellites, Broadcasting, and Cable TV, Satellite 2007 Conference, Washington, DC (February 2007).
• Panelist, Hybrid Wireless Technologies, International Satellite Conference and Expo, San Diego, CA (June 2006).
• Moderator, Managing Risk in a Risky Business, Satellite 2006 Conference, Washington, DC (February 2006).
• Panelist, Mobile Satellite: New Systems, New Opportunities, Satellite 2005 Conference, Washington, DC (March 2005).
• Guest Speaker, Media Ownership and the Information Battlefield, on National Public Radio's WBUR, Boston, MA (January 2003).
• Panelist, Telecom Deals: M&A, Regulatory and Financing Issues, Practicing Law Institute, New York, NY (July 2000).

Events

Digital Media