Co-Chair
Sam Feder

Co-Chair
Angela Flannery

Communications Law Committee

The Communications Law Committee is a leading global forum for legal practitioners with specialist expertise or interest in the communications sector. The Committee offers members access to a worldwide network of leading practitioners, in-house counsel and regulators active in digital, communications and media markets. We encourage the sharing of sectoral expertise through regular publication of articles, periodic issues of our technical journal, the annual committee conference hosted jointly with IBA Antitrust Section, and specialised sessions at the IBA Annual Conference. The scope of the Committee’s work covers network, service and content-related developments across all delivery platforms. This provides members with access to practical global perspectives on the array of technological, commercial and policy issues which confront communications lawyers, their companies and clients.

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Forthcoming conferences and webinars View All Conferences

35th Annual IBA Communications and Competition Law Conference

27 Apr - 28 Apr 2026

Singapore

IBA Annual Conference Copenhagen 2026

04 Oct - 09 Oct 2026

Copenhagen , Denmark

Innovations shaping tomorrow: IP, technology and communication in a new era

12 Nov - 13 Nov 2026

Seoul , South Korea

  • A comparative review of functional separation as a structural remedy in telecommunications markets around the world;
  • the regulatory implications of local access fibre deployments and the impact on the business models of network operators and service providers;
  • the risks and opportunities for operators looking to capitalise on investment in IP-based platforms by moving down the value chain into a fragmented media marketplace;
  • the unique character of emerging and developing communications markets and what this means for transactions, opportunities and regulatory policy in those markets;
  • regulatory issues associated with market developments such as fixed-mobile substitution, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), Video on Demand (VoD) and Television over Internet Protocol (IPTV), user-generated content, digital switchover, mobile broadband and unified communications;
  • the new and important legal developments occurring in communications markets at the interface between regulation, antitrust and the web; and
  • the function of global standards (including the evolution of new wireless and IP standards) and the function and regulation of standards bodies.

Committee Activities

The Committee organises many activities throughout the year, providing members with invaluable opportunities to keep abreast of the latest developments in communications and digital law, share practical insights, and network with in-house and private practice lawyers as well as with regulators.

Annual Communications and Competition Law Conference 

In cooperation with the Antitrust Section, the Communications Law Committee organise the very popular annual Communications and Competition Law Conference, which is a two-day conference addressing regulatory and industry developments in the areas of communications and antitrust law.

A hallmark of the conference is that it provides a forum for industry regulators, thought leaders and leading practitioners to discuss how they see communications and antitrust law evolving to address topical issues such as infrastructure sharing, internet of things (loT), 5G rollouts, ‘virtual’ competition issues raised by the digital economy and consolidation as well as antitrust challenges in dealing with new technology players.

The conference has been highly popular, and in 2019 we celebrated the 30th anniversary of its inauguration.

Annual IBA Conference

The Committee hosts various panel sessions on communications law issues and lead, chair, contribute or participate in sessions with other committees at the 2020 IBA Annual conference in Miami, with topics including the signature ‘round-the-tables’ event.

We have established working groups focused on particular topics for members to be more involved in areas of their specialisation and interest, so they may discuss and interact with peers on emerging issues and also support engagement with members at meetings, conferences and in other initiatives.

We have two working groups covering the following topic areas:

Digital Economy & Communications

This working group focuses on the legal and regulatory challenges raised by the digital economy (AI, algorithms, blockchain, etc). It also focuses on the evolution of the internet value-chain and the increased competition stemming from (and potential regulation of) platforms, tech and data companies.

Data & Communications 

This working group focuses on the intersection of the regulation of data and communications. It covers issues such as privacy for communications, Big Data, access to data and communications, personal/non-personal data regulation, cybersecurity and the free flow of data/data localisation.

The Committee is involved in the Intellectual Property, Communications and Technology Law Section programme for planning a scholarship for a young lawyer with a topical subject.

Scholarships

The Committee are proud to also be involved in many important IBA projects such as the United Nations sponsored UN-GGIM Project on Global Geospatial Information Management and the IBA Task Force on Government Access to IT Systems.

The fair share debate: global perspectives on who should contribute to internet infrastructure

The fair share debate: global perspectives on who should contribute to internet infrastructure

Calls by telecommunications companies for fair share regulation, that is, for online content providers to directly pay for telecommunications infrastructure costs, are contentious. While some jurisdictions support this regulation, not all do. This report provides a comparative analysis of the approach in different jurisdictions and will be updated as positions continue to evolve.

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Publications
All articles

Digital Networks Act: one market, one regulation

The proposed Digital Networks Act (DNA) represents a significant step in the evolution of the European electronic communications law, replacing the existing directive-based framework with a directly applicable regulation. By centralising competences in areas such as market entry authorisation, spectrum management and enforcement, the DNA recalibrates the balance of powers between the EU and national authorities, with far-reaching implications in terms of state autonomy and market integration.

Released on Mar 26, 2026

The Digital Network Act’s innovations on level playing field and fair share

Over the past three years, the European debate on digital networks has been largely dominated by the discussion on the level playing field, namely how to balance relationships and interests between connectivity operators and large over-the-top (OTT) platforms within the digital ecosystem. In this contribution, I will try to show how, behind the apparent technical neutrality of the DNA proposal, lies a redefinition of the regulatory vocabulary on interconnection, net neutrality and the role of over the top infrastructures, which may profoundly affect future relationships between telcos and OTTs even in the absence of a true ‘fair share’ regime.

Released on Mar 26, 2026

The Digital Network Act proposal: new developments on competition, consolidation and the single market

On 21 January 2026, the European Commission published the long-awaited proposal for a Digital Network Act (DNA). This article explores the prospects of the DNA’s implementation, the surrounding debates by EU Member States regarding its effectiveness and how much of a change it really is from the previous Directive.

Released on Mar 26, 2026

Commission for Communications Regulation v Sky Ireland Ltd: contracts of ‘indeterminate duration’ and the European Electronic Communications Code

This article explores the carefully reasoned decision in Commission for Communications Regulation v Sky Ireland Ltd, on whether contracts described as being of ‘indeterminate duration’, but containing a fixed minimum commitment period, fall within the scope of an EU Directive. This judgement sets out important clarifications on regarding contract law not only in Ireland, but addresses a structural feature common across EU telecommunications markets and grapples with the balance between formal contractual characterisation and the functional reality of consumer lock-in.

Released on Mar 26, 2026

Guides

Digital Regulations in the Metaverse Era: Metaverse Guide

As the metaverse continues to expand, it brings with it a myriad of opportunities and challenges that span across various legal and regulatory domains. This guide aims to provide a thorough understanding of these complexities, offering insights into the digital regulatory environment for a number of jurisdictions worldwide.

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Read the guide

Subcommittees and other groups

The Communications Law Committee also coordinates the activities of the following subcommittees/working groups.

  • Communications Law Committee Advisory Board

Join us on LinkedIn

If you are a member of the Communications Law Committee, for additional networking opportunities, programs, interviews with fellow members and tips all exclusive to members, join our LinkedIn page at: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/9512124/.

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