Julie Kearney

Speaker Bio

Julie Kearney is a Co-Chair of the Space Exploration and Innovation Practice and a partner in the Telecom group at DLA Piper. She is a globally recognized and dynamic lawyer in the technology, satellite, space, and telecommunications field. For more than 25 years, Julie has worked with governments, industries, and the public sector around the world to promote legal and regulatory frameworks and policies that enable life-changing technologies.

As the first Chief of the Space Bureau at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Julie represented and spoke for the Chairwoman and Commissioners on satellite and space-based communication matters and represented the Commission at the domestic and international level. Under Julie's leadership, the FCC unanimously adopted several regulatory frameworks and launched initiatives to successfully advance industry leadership in the New Space Age. Additionally, during her tenure as Chief, the FCC adopted a regulatory structure for Supplemental Coverage from Space, which made the FCC the first regulator in the world to issue a framework for connecting satellites directly to consumer handsets using spectrum previously allocated only to terrestrial service.

Before joining the FCC, Julie served in leadership roles at Twilio, Loon (an Alphabet company bringing internet access to unserved and underserved communities around the world via a network of balloons on the edge of space), the Consumer Technology Association, National Public Radio, MCI, and private legal practice.

Julie is a past president of the Federal Communications Bar Association (FCBA - The Tech Bar) and she also served as chair of the FCBA Foundation. Other past Board positions include The Catholic University Columbus School of Law’s Board of Visitors, USTelecom, and the United States Technical Training Institute (USTTI).

Julie earned her B.A. from Mount Holyoke College and a J.D. from Catholic University’s Columbus School of Law, with a certificate from its Law and Technology Institute.