Rogers, Thomas C.

John Rogovin, formerly General Counsel of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), is a partner in the Communications and E-commerce, Litigation, and Public Policy and Strategy Departments at WilmerHale. He joined the firm in 2005, bringing with him nearly 20 years of experience in private practice and with the federal government.

Practice

Since joining the firm, Mr. Rogovin has represented clients in the broadcasting, wireless, satellite and telecommunications areas in a wide variety of different matters, including litigation, proceedings before regulatory agencies, and transactions. He has also represented other clients on a variety of employment and transactional matters, as well.

As General Counsel at the FCC, Mr. Rogovin was the principal legal advisor to the Chairman and Commissioners, providing advice on a wide range of telecommunications issues, including broadband, digital television, local telephone competition, media ownership, wireless, transactions and bankruptcy matters. Mr. Rogovin was the FCC’s principal liaison with the Justice Department and represented the Commission in court on many important litigation matters, including Brand X v. FCC (cable modem) and Prometheus v. FCC (media ownership). He was also the government’s lead negotiator in the multi-billion-dollar settlements (2001 and 2004) in Next Wave v. FCC (PCS licenses in bankruptcy).

Before his service at the FCC, Mr. Rogovin was at the US Department of Justice from 1993 to 1996. Following that, he was a litigation partner and Communications Department Chair at O’Melveny & Myers LLP (1996-2000), concentrating in trial-court and appellate matters in the areas of product liability, communications and complex commercial disputes. At the Department of Justice, Mr. Rogovin served initially as an Assistant to the Attorney General and then became the Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Division, supervising the Federal Programs Branch, which defends the US in lawsuits challenging the constitutionality or legality of governmental policies, programs and actions. Mr. Rogovin also served as the Deputy Transition Counsel during the 1992-1993 Presidential Transition.

Professional and Other Activities

Mr. Rogovin is the co-chair of the Litigation Committee of the Federal Communications Bar Association. He is a member of the District of Columbia Bar, the New York Bar, the American Bar Association and the Fellows of the American Bar Foundation. Mr. Rogovin is a frequent lecturer and panelist on telecommunications matters. He serves on the faculty for the PLI Conference on Telecommunications Policy & Regulation, the ABA Conference on Telecommunications Policy and the ABA Section of Antitrust Law. Mr. Rogovin also serves on the Board of Directors for the National Symphony Orchestra.

Honors and Awards

• Recognized for his exceptional telecommunications regulatory work in the 2006 and 2007 editions of Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business
• Chosen by his peers for inclusion in the 2007 and 2008 editions of The Best Lawyers in America in the area of communications law
• Selected by Washingtonian Magazine as one of the top lawyers under the age of 40, and is listed in Who’s Who in American Law
• Featured in the article "Rogovin Courts the Media Mavens" in Broadcasting & Cable's August 8, 2005 online issue

Publications

• John A. Rogovin and Rodger D. Citron, Lessons from the “Nextwave” Saga: the Federal Communications Commission, the Courts and the Use of Market Forms to Perform Public Functions, 57 Admin. L. Rev. (2005).

Speaking Engagements

• John A. Rogovin, Moderator, Practical Tips for Appellate Litigation and FCC Advocacy, Federal Communications Bar Association (FCBA), Washington, D.C. (Nov. 10, 2005)
• John A. Rogovin, Tension Between Federal and State Utility Regulation, Address at Conference of California Public Utility Counsel Annual Meeting (CCPUC), Napa, CA (Oct. 24, 2005)
• John A. Rogovin, Federal and State Regulation of the U.S. Wireless Telecom Industry:  Striking the Balance, D.C. Bar, Washington, D.C. (Oct. 20, 2005)
• John A. Rogovin, Searching for the Third Broadband Pipe, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO  (Sept. 29, 2005)
• John A. Rogovin, Address on “Brand X” at Progress & Freedom Foundation (July 15, 2005)