Network Neutrality Debate and Its Impact On Technology Teleconference

Kathleen Q. Abernathy advises clients on a wide variety of policy and regulatory issues related to the telecommunications and media fields. She represents clients at both the federal and state levels as well as before various international and foreign regulatory agencies. In addition, she consults with foreign governments regarding privatization efforts. 

Immediately prior to joining Akin Gump, Ms. Abernathy served as a Commissioner at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Nominated by President George W. Bush and confirmed unanimously by the U.S. Senate to a four-year term in 2001, she was responsible for representing the public interest in each of the policy areas under the FCC’s jurisdiction, including wireless; domestic and international telecommunications; satellite; broadcast; cable; communications equipment manufacturers; and broadband, IP and other advanced communications technologies. She was intimately involved in developing and implementing domestic policy in each of these fields. In addition, Ms. Abernathy chaired the Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service and participated in numerous international bilateral and multilateral negotiations, including the 2002 International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Plenipotentiary Conference and the 2003 ITU World Radiocommunications Conference. She was appointed by the ITU to chair the 2004 ITU Global Symposium for Regulators. 

Before joining the FCC as a commissioner, Ms. Abernathy served as vice president, public policy at BroadBand Office Communications, as vice president, regulatory affairs at US West and as vice president, federal regulatory at AirTouch Communications (a predecessor company to Cingular Wireless). Earlier in her career, she served as a legal advisor to two FCC commissioners and as a special assistant to the agency’s general counsel. 

Ms. Abernathy received her B.A. magna cum laude from Marquette University in 1982 and her J.D. from Catholic University’s Columbus School of Law in 1983. She is a member of the District of Columbia Bar and the Federal Communications Bar Association. 

Ms. Abernathy has been honored by several organizations for her professional achievements. She received the President’s Medal in 2005 from the Catholic University of America, the Forerunner Accolade in 2002 from Women in Cable and Telecommunications for her commitment to encouraging, developing and promoting women in the industry, and the Milestone Award in 2001 from Catholic University’s Columbus School of Law for her exemplary service to the law school and outstanding achievement in the field of communications law. In addition, she was named one of the most powerful women in television by Electronic Media magazine (October 2002).

Dr. Mark Cooper holds a Ph.D. from Yale University and is a former Yale University and Fulbright Fellow. He is Director of Research at the Consumer Federation of America where he has responsibility for analysis and advocacy in the areas of telecommunications, media, digital rights, economic and energy policy. He has provided expert testimony in over 250 cases for public interest clients including Attorneys General, People’s Counsels, and citizen interveners before state and federal agencies, courts and legislators in almost four dozen jurisdictions in the U.S. and Canada. He is the author of Media Ownership and Democracy in the Digital Information Age (Center for Internet & Society, Stanford University, 2003), Cable Mergers and Monopolies (Electronic download) (Economic Policy institute, 2002, paper), The Transformation of Egypt (Johns Hopkins, 1982), and Equity and Energy (Westview, 1983).

MSNBC calls Proskauer litigator Christopher Wolf "a pioneer in Internet law." And, indeed, Chris was involved in the earliest matters involving the Internet, helping to make new law for new technologies. He was trial counsel for the old MCI in a three-month-long jury trial involving a failed joint venture for Internet-related equipment, where MCI won a complete victory. He represented The Washington Post in a high profile challenge to reporters' use of the Internet, winning summary judgment. He represented the recording industry in the first successful lawsuits against online piracy. And he was among the first lawyers to litigate domain name disputes, jurisdictional issues, and the limits to online and e-mail marketing. A more recent case involved a trademark law challenge to the use of Google "adwords" for marketing purposes.

Chris has written and spoken widely on Internet and privacy law, including at Harvard and Stanford Law Schools; as an adjunct professor at Washington & Lee University School of Law; on CLE panels such as PLI Institutes; at the Brookings Institution; at the Second Circuit Judicial Conference; at the Bar Association of the City of New York; and at international conferences in Sweden, France and Israel. Chris also is a regular commentator on NBC, CNN and MSNBC. He is a recipient of the 2005 Burton Award for Excellence in Legal Writing.

Chris is a 1980 magna cum laude, Order of the Coif graduate of the law school at Washington & Lee University, where he served on Law Review and was a Teaching Fellow. He graduated in 1976, cum laude, from Bowdoin College and was a General Course participant at the London School of Economics & Political Science. He clerked for U.S. District Judge Aubrey E. Robinson, Jr. in Washington, DC.