Alan Fishel

Alan Fishel, a partner of the firm, focuses on telecommunications law.  Alan manages the firm’s Telecommunications Practice. Alan also represents clients in state and federal court litigation concerning telecommunications-related matters. For example, he represented a large state university in its successful defense of a lawsuit brought by a franchised cable operator who argued that the university was illegally providing video programming on campus without a franchise. Alan represents clients with respect to the preparation and negotiation of a wide variety of agreements, including, for example, agreements concerning the provision of cable, telephony, and data services to apartment complexes, condominiums, office buildings, single-family developments, and universities; colocation agreements; in-building wireless agreements; antenna license agreements; and dark fiber agreements. Alan provides advice to clients on a variety of telecommunications-related matters, including both domestic and international matters. Matters on which Alan advises clients include cable matters, wireless issues, universal service matters, regulatory fees, voice over IP issues, e-911 regulations, UWB matters, other broadband issues, pole attachment disputes, Section 253 matters, franchise issues, digital television matters, equipment authorization requirements, and notification, advertisement and marketing issues. He regularly counsels clients with regard to federal, state, and local telecommunications laws and regulations that impact their businesses. He counsels clients on the most effective means of resolving telecommunications related disputes, including disputes involving access to property, ownership of wiring, franchising issues, licensing matters, and interference issues. In addition, he prepares or supervises the preparation of the federal, state, and local filings necessary to provide clients with the authorizations needed to provide their services, including the acquisition of FCC licenses. Before joining Arent Fox, Alan was a partner at a large Washington, DC, office of a major Chicago law firm where he focused on telecommunications law. Over the past several years, Alan has moderated panels at the annual AAAE conference in Washington, DC and at IIR in-building wireless conferences in Virginia and Las Vegas. He is the author of numerous telecommunications articles. Outside of law, Alan’s interests include assisting children in learning geography and coaching youth sports. Alan has created a geography game, GeoPlunge, that is played in many schools and sold in educational and toy stores. Alan has also coached youth soccer and basketball teams.