Partner Andy Lipman spoke with The Bear Roars podcast, where he discussed the defining moments that transformed the modern telecommunications industry. Andy reflects on his storied legal career, from the antitrust battles of the 1980s to coining the term “CLEC” that shaped the 1996 Telecommunications Act, and shared how the industry’s role has evolved in the eyes of policymakers:
“It’s only recently that Congress and policymakers began to realize that telecom was infrastructure. Broadband is as essential as any other infrastructure—water, gas, electricity, roads,” Andy said. “[That recognition] is one of the reasons why we’re spending ten, if not hundreds, of billions of dollars to connect up remote homes for internet and why there’s a new investor class in telecom.”