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Ms. Buyer is a regular columnist for the THE BULLETIN of the Bar Association of Erie County and is a contributor to No Jitter. Previously, she has written numerous commentaries on telecommunications law for other legal and telecommunications publications including, among others, The Daily Record, Communications Convergence and Computer Telephony. Her articles cover a broad range of topics highlighting current telecommunications issues including federal and state telecommunications policy, litigation, wireless technologies, spectrum policy, FCC initiatives, and industry consolidation. Martha Buyer has also contributed to the ABA Journal Report.

Tuesday
Oct022018

Net Neutrality, the Midterms… & California Too!

Let’s start with the fact that way more exciting things are going on politically at the moment than the battle over Net neutrality. Even for those of us who are passionate about this issue, what’s going on in the White House/Supreme Court/Senate (pick one) is probably more compelling than anything the FCC could or might do. However, as we approach the final few weeks before the ever-important midterm elections, it’s critical to consider how your representative feels about Net neutrality and use that information to vote accordingly.

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Thursday
Aug302018

Following Verizon Wireless’s Recent Adventure in Throttling

A look at regulatory and practical considerations around the high-profile misstep

Thanks to my friends at No Jitter, I’ve been able to write extensively about some of the issues associated with Net Neutrality.  If you know me, or are familiar with my commentary, you know where I stand. To recap, in my opinion, Net Neutrality is essential to our ability as Americans to communicate and consume information as we so choose.  During the recent spate of California fires, when Verizon got caught throttling data in order to secure a more lucrative contract from a California municipality, I was dumbfounded.

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Monday
Jun252018

Kari Hunt Case Jury Awards $41.55 Million

On Friday, June 22nd, a 12-person jury in Marshall, TX awarded $41.55 million to the family of Kari Hunt Dunn following week long civil trial following her death in 2013.  She was fatally stabbed by her estranged husband at a hotel in Marshall on December 1, 2013 where she’d brought her children to visit with their father.  In facts that are well known, while Ms. Hunt’s estranged husband repeatedly stabbed her, her eldest daughter, who was 9 at the time, repeatedly tried to call 911. Because the hotel’s phone system had been designed to require the dialing of “9” in order to reach an outside line, the 9-year old was unsuccessful in reaching anyone who could help her.

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Thursday
May312018

Senate Net Neutrality Vote Exercise in Futility or Something Much More Important?

As widely discussed, the U.S. Senate on May 17 secured passage of a resolution designed to thwart the FCC’s December 2017 decision to abandon the Net neutrality rules announced and implemented by the Obama Administration in 2015 and sustained by the D.C. District Court in 2016.  While most quarters view the protections offered by Network neutrality as imperative, the Trump Administration’s deregulatory push has enabled the FCC’s Republican majority to force abandonment of the rules, despite overwhelming bipartisan support of keeping them in place and intact. 

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Sunday
May132018

Sprint/T-Mobile: Beyond the First Week Hype

So many factors to consider... and not only for consumers, but enterprises, too. You've seen the well-publicized facts and figures about the proposed Sprint/T-Mobile merger, and you've cut through the marketing and other varieties of hype about this transaction, but still you're probably wondering, what's really going on?

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