INTERNATIONAL
TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION SERVICES
CAPABILITIES
The firm has represented clients in international telecommunications and related transactions since its establishment in 1977. In fact, the Senior Partner of the Firm, Mr. Maurice Wolf, devotes a substantial part of his practice to this field in which he has participated since the early 1960's when he joined the U.S. Federal Communications Commissions as an attorney in the then newly created Office of Satellite Communications.
In this capacity he assisted in the establishment and initial stock offering of the Communications Satellite Corporation [COMSAT] and in the negotiations which led to the creation of the International Telecommunications Satellite Consortium [INTELSAT]. Mr. Wolf also drafted the Financial Rules which govern debt and equity financing by COMSAT.
Subsequently, as Senior Counsel at the Inter-American Development Bank, Mr. Wolf was responsible for legal matters relating to loans to the telecommunications sector throughout Latin America. He negotiated telecom loans to many countries in the region and advised governments on the drafting of communications laws and the formation of telecommunications entities.
In the private practice of law, Mr. Wolf leads the firm in its international telecommunications practice and more recently, in the rapidly expanding field of international information services or Informatics.
For example, the firm was retained by the Eastern Caribbean Investment Promotion Service [ECIPS] to undertake a study, The Development of an Enabling Climate for an Information Services Sector in the Eastern Caribbean, which required the review and analysis of the laws, regulations and policies of seven countries of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States [OECS] to determine the impediments or obstacles to the flow of investment into the region for the development of this sector.
Included in this study was a review of the telecommunications laws of these countries as well as the analysis of the agreements between the governments and the telecom provider, a large United Kingdom based telecommunications entity, for the provision of international telecommunications services.
The project culminated with the drafting of Model legislation, the Information Services Investment Facilitating Bill, for the OECS and led to the substantial reduction in rates for overseas traffic from these countries. This new industry is well under way in several of the countries of the region.
The firm was also retained to provide the services of Mr. Wolf to act as the Telecommunications Advisor to the Government of the Kingdom of Tonga in negotiations for the development of a joint-venture and the continuing operations of its franchise for external communications. This led to the revision of the franchise agreement, providing for substantial improvement in both operational and financial terms for the Government of Tonga, without the necessity of extending the franchise period.
 |
The firm has also participated in other telecommunications projects in an advisory capacity, or as counsel, as well as in the privatization or conversion of telecom entities from governmental ownership to the private sector, including: |
|
Acting as counsel to the Government of the Gambia in the change-over from foreign operation of its international telcom facilities to national ownership and the creation of a new telcom entity - GAMTEL. |
|
Representing a major world-wide telecommunications company in the possible acquisition of the Puerto Rico Telephone Company. |
|
Negotiating and drafting a regional communications satellite agreement with OTC of Australia [now part of TELSTRA] as counsel to the 15 countries of the South Pacific Forum. This agreement was successfully negotiated and the regional system is operating. |
|
Representing COMSAT as Special Telcom Counsel in the AUSSAT privatization [the second Australian telecommunications entity, now OPTUS] to develop a joint venture with other international telcom operators. |
|
Advising on the creation of a stock-ownership plan for the employees of a Latin American government-owned telcom entity which was being privatized. |
