Speaker Bio
Nancy has extensive experience in communications issues and transactions. She advises a broad cross-section of the telecommunications and media industry on the business implications of regulatory policy and represents these entities before the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), Congress, CFIUS, Team Telecom, and state public utility commissions.
Nancy has particular experience in wireless and satellite issues, including spectrum allocation, licensing, compliance, and regulatory requirements. She also has substantial experience in telephony and broadband regulatory matters, particularly where new technology or changing market conditions conflict with the historic regulation. Nancy additionally handles submarine cable licensing and regulatory matters for clients around the globe. She has particular expertise with respect to non-U.S. ownership issues, having regularly represented companies before Team Telecom and CFIUS, negotiated mitigation agreements where required, and counselled companies with respect to ongoing compliance. She also regularly counsels clients on a wide variety of FCC and state compliance matters and has substantial experience in representing clients in enforcement proceedings.
Nancy has extensive transactional experience, having taken a lead role in securing FCC approval for transactions ranging from small wireless or broadcast license transfers to the largest communications mergers of the last decades. She served as lead regulatory counsel to T-Mobile and Deutsche Telekom in securing federal, state and international regulatory approvals for T-Mobile's merger with Sprint, which was recognized by TMT Finance as their "2020 Telecom Deal of the Year – Global." Nancy's role included briefing the T-Mobile Board, developing merger advocacy and messaging for the transaction, responding to extensive regulator inquiries and third-party opposition, and negotiating commitments required for FCC approval. She also advised T-Mobile on the divestiture of Sprint's prepaid wireless business to DISH. Her work bringing the T Mobile/Sprint merger to fruition was also written up in The American Lawyer. Nancy continues to advise T-Mobile regarding the company's compliance with hundreds of merger commitments, including a first-of-its-kind nationwide 5G drive test to demonstrate compliance with the company's coverage commitments.
Rated by Chambers USA as Band 1 in her field, Nancy is praised by a client for being " well known, very smart and very focused," while another notes that she "is always quick to respond with advice and analysis that is sound and practical." (2022) Chambers USA further notes that she has 'substantial experience in handling regulatory and antitrust matters, including issues arising from market-leading M&A across a range of sectors." (2022) She was also named a "Leading Lawyer" by The Legal 500 in both the Telecom Regulatory and Transaction categories, where she was described as 'a seasoned veteran in FCC matters, she is a specialist in obtaining regulatory approvals and handling enforcement matters with a particular focus on ownership issues." (2022)