Sean Stokes represents clients nationally on a wide range of communications matters including broadband, cable television, wireless communications, right-of-way management, pole attachments, barriers to community broadband initiatives, and public-private partnerships. He counsels clients in developing and negotiating agreements involving access to poles, ducts, conduits, dark fiber, and towers. He has represented municipal utilities and local governments in complex negotiations developing city-wide fiber-to-the-home networks and wireless small cell siting agreements.
Sean has advised clients in numerous cases involving complex factual, legal, and policy issues, multiple parties, and large amounts in controversy. His clients include national and state utility associations, municipal leagues, and numerous public and private entities throughout the U.S. He collaborates with multi-disciplinary teams of legal, financial, engineering, and other technical experts, assisting clients in making comprehensive telecommunications and broadband plans.
Sean has authored numerous industry publications and is the principal author of an extensive guidebook and a model pole attachment agreement for the American Public Power Association, which assists approximately 2,000 public power utilities. He is frequently invited to speak at industry conferences and has recently presented on topics such as community broadband, small cell, and pole attachments.
Sean’s extensive career experience includes counseling clients at a boutique Washington, DC telecommunications law firm, as well as Associate General Counsel for the Utilities Telecommunications Council (UTC), where he helped develop and implement the legislative and regulatory strategy of the nation’s electric, gas and water utilities regarding the adoption and implementation of the Telecommunications Act of 1996.
More Legal and Business Bylines From Sean Stokes
- Telecom Alert: TracFone Settles for $23.5 Million; FCC Extends BDC Waiver; FCC Extends Rip-and-Replace Deadlines; FCC Warns Nine Pirate Radio Operators [Vol. XX, Issue 49] - (Posted On Wednesday, December 27, 2023)
- Telecom Alert: December Open Meeting; Draft Pole Attachment Order; 76 GHz Band Waiver Request; Enhanced A-CAM Deadline Extension Request [Vol. XX, Issue 48] - (Posted On Wednesday, December 27, 2023)
- NTIA Adopts Programmatic Waiver of Letter of Credit Requirement for BEAD Funding - (Posted On Thursday, November 02, 2023)
- Telecom Alert: ULS Filing Deadlines Extended; PSAP Notification Pleading Cycle; $930 Million in Middle Mile Grants; ECF Funding [Vol. XX, Issue 25] - (Posted On Tuesday, June 20, 2023)
- Telecom Alert: USAC to Fully Fund Eligible E-Rate Requests; NG911 Transition NPRM; House Siting and Permitting Bill; NTIA House Oversight Hearing; Tribal Broadband Grants [Vol. XX, Issue 21] - (Posted On Tuesday, May 23, 2023)
- Ten Key Issues for Broadband Network Operating Agreements - (Posted On Tuesday, April 25, 2023)
- Telecom Alert: Call to Reclassify 911 Telecommunicators; Over $25M in Tribal Broadband Grants; CPF Grants; ECF Funding [Vol. XX, Issue 16] - (Posted On Monday, April 17, 2023)
- Telecom Alert: CPNI Certifications Due; USDA Invests $2.7B in Electric Coops; Guard Band Licensee, Band Manager Reports Due; ECF Funding [Vol. XX, Issue 6] - (Posted On Tuesday, February 07, 2023)
- Telecom Alert: Data Breach Reporting Rules Proposed; Suicide Lifeline Outage Reporting NPRM; 2.5 GHz Band Licenses Granted; ECF Funding [Vol. XX, Issue 2] - (Posted On Monday, January 09, 2023)
- With Billions of Dollars of Broadband Funding at Stake, the Timing of the Challenge Process to the FCC’s Broadband Map Under Increasing Scrutiny - (Posted On Thursday, December 22, 2022)
The National Law Review selected the Telecommunications Practice Group at Keller and Heckman as a Go-To Thought Leader for 2021 for its coverage of legislation and regulation involving the telecommunications industry. Of particular note is its frequent updates on telecommunications policy and regulations through its Telecom Alert, which breaks down the latest news affecting the industry. Keller and Heckman authors who contribute regularly to the Telecom Alerts include Jaimy “Sindy” Alarcon, James Baller, Jason P. Chun, Timothy A. Doughty, Michael T. N. Fitch, C. Douglas Jarrett, Gregory E. Kunkle, Casey Lide, Thomas B. Magee, Tracy P. Marshall, Kathleen Slattery Thompson, Sean A. Stokes and Wesley K. Wright.