Dianne Smith Joins Holland & Knight's Telecommunications Group
July 27, 2007
She served as in-house counsel to the nation's first commercial digital television station - the first station to multi-cast and offer local content via mobile devices.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Holland & Knight LLP is pleased to announce that Dianne Smith has joined the firm's Washington, D.C., office as a partner in the Public Policy & Regulation group and Telecommunications team.
Smith, a former communications executive and in-house counsel, provides legislative and regulatory counsel to clients in the telecommunications industry. She has significant experience related to the digital television transition, the carriage of local broadcast television stations by Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) carriers, and the most recent media ownership debate. Smith also counsels on content-related matters at the U.S. Congress and the Federal Communications Commission, including indecency issues in the aftermath of the Janet Jackson Super Bowl incident.
As in-house counsel to WRAL, the nation's first commercial digital television station and the first station to multi-cast and offer local content via mobile devices, Smith represented the company in all federal policy matters related to the digital television transition, media ownership, content regulation, and multichannel carriage issues. She also served as a key DBS consultant to the National Association of Broadcasters in litigation related to distant station subscribers and in helping defeat the merger of DirecTV and EchoStar. Additionally, Smith is experienced in drafting business plans to generate funding and negotiating acquisitions.
"Dianne's expertise in the telecommunications industry, including the public policy aspects of digital television, programming carriage and media ownership matters, will benefit our clients tremendously," said Charles Naftalin, head of the firm's Telecommunications team.
Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Smith headed the Washington, D.C., office of a Fortune 250 utility, where she lobbied on matters related to telecom issues, global climate change and nuclear energy. Her interest in telecommunications began prior to law school; Smith built the Tar Heel Sports Network into a 70-station sports radio network for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and helped the company win the local cable franchise.
Smith is admitted to practice in North Carolina. She earned her J.D. cum laude from Campbell University in 1993, and her B.A. in journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1974.
Contact: Christina Calhoun, (813) 769-4355