Lawrence (“Larry”) Freedman is partner in the Business Law Group at EAPD. He specializes in telecommunications law.

Larry has practiced law for over twenty years. Substantial experience with issues under the Telecommunications Act of 1996 as a result of cutting edge work on behalf of competitive telecommunications companies around the US and the world highlights his legal background. Larry’s telecommunications practice focuses on serving clients in transactions, as well as regulatory and dispute resolution matters before state public regulatory commissions, the Federal Communications Commission, and other arenas, and in many respects as a “strategic quarterback” for parties in the competitive telecommunications area who require the development and implementation of a legal and regulatory strategy. He particularly focuses on the issues between competitive and incumbent local exchange carriers, including interconnection obligations and agreements.

He has also developed and led a second core practice area, specializing in issues relating to “wired communities” and the nexus between telecommunications and real estate and community development. This turned into one of the country’s pioneering law practices focused in these areas, including, innovative transactions to facilitate fiber to the home.
Notable Experience
Developed original, innovative, and sophisticated approach for fiber-to-the-home “wired community” contract transactions, which, among other things:
•    Resulted in first major project, Lansdowne on the Potomac, won the “High Tech Project of the Year” Award from Northern Virginia Homebuilders Association; and
•    Resulted in prevailing in United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia challenge from major cable television company in a seminal decision regarding property owner’s rights in the telecommunications area
•    Selected as general counsel to industry trade group known as “FOCUS” (Fiber Optic Communities in the United States)

Handled scores of transactions of all sizes and complexities:
•    Led practice representing competitive telecommunications carriers, including significant and favorable victories and settlements in major interconnection contract arbitration proceedings

Hands on working attorney experience leading and working on teams in:
•    Contractual negotiations (including with wide range of companies and individuals such as multi-billion dollar international telecommunications and technology providers and vendors, developers, and others)
•    Litigation and arbitration (including trial and appeal work in public utility commissions, state and federal courts, and as lead counsel in First and Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals cases, as well as numerous private/ AAA arbitrations and administrative hearings and arbitrations)
•    Regulatory advocacy (including at the Federal Communications Commission, numerous state public utility commissions, and others)
•    Commercial and business litigation and transactions, including in the areas of bankruptcy, real estate, and general commercial matters.
•    Alternative dispute resolution matters including mediation and arbitration.

Recent Speaking Engagements and Publications:
Mr. Freedman has regularly been asked to speak telecommunications issues, involving telecommunications generally and wired community matters, including the following:
•    Telephone Association of New England, Saratoga Springs, New York, “Federal Regulatory Issues,” February 2011
•    Metaswitch Forum, Orlando, September 2010, “Regulatory Outlook”
•    Fiber to the Home Conference, Las Vegas, September 2010, presenter on “Transactional and Regulatory Strategies for Structuring Wired Broadband Community Arrangements”
•    RealComm Conference, Las Vegas, June, 2010, “Building Telecom and Wireless Infrastructure – The New Competitive Benchmark”
•    Broadband Properties Summit, Dallas, April, 2009, speaker on “Wired Communities – Existing Communities Opportunities”
•    COMPTEL (Competitive Telecommunications Association), speaker on “Interconnection as a Strategic Advantage,” Dallas, March 2009
•    “Wired Communities Transactions” presentations at the National Fiber to the Home Conferences in New Orleans, and subsequently Orlando, in 2002, 2003, and 2004, and 2005, and to the FTTH Conferences in Las Vegas in 2006 and Orlando in 2007, and to the FTTH conference in Nashville in 2008
•    Competitive Telecommunications Association Regulatory Workshop, Las Vegas, 2007
•    University of Texas Conference on Cable, Telecommunications, and Wireless, Austin, 2007, “Telecommunications in Real Estate”
•    Continental Building Associations Connected at Home conferences in Toronto, and, San Diego, 2006.
•    “Broadband Properties” conferences in Dallas, Texas, 2004 and 2005
•    “Telecommunications and Real Estate” program in Atlanta, Georgia, 2005
•    “Digital City” conference in the Washington, DC area, 2005
•    Optical Broadband Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, 2005
•    Optical Society of America in Anaheim, California, 2005
•    “Telecommunications in Real Estate” law seminar, 2005
•    OSP Outside Plant Exposition in Atlanta, Georgia, 2004
•    “Municipal Broadband” conference presentations in San Francisco, California, and Seattle, Washington, 2002
•    “Computer Law Association” Conferences, San Jose, California, 2000, 2001, and 2002
•    “Wired Communities” presentations at the “Telecom Policy Summit” in Washington DC, 2001
•    “Developing Spectrum Approaches as Part of an Overall Broadband Services Strategy,” chaired panel session at the national conference on “Spectrum Management, Alexandria, Virginia, 2001
•    “Telecommunications Regulatory Issues — Strategies and Opportunities in Deploying a Market Rollout,” in Tysons Corner, Virginia, 1999
•    “Delivering Broadband Services — Strategies for Multimedia, Bandwidth on Demand and Internet Services,” Denver, Colorado,1999
•    “Unbundling the Local Loop,” Chicago, Illinois, 1999; Washington, DC, 2000
•    “Line Sharing Seminar,” Washington, D.C.
•    “Telecommunications in the Southwest,” Phoenix, Arizona
•    “Selling and Trading Telecoms Capacity,” San Francisco, California
•    “Internet Telephony,” San Diego, 1998
•    “Communications Law in the New Millennium,” appearance at the American University Law School Founders Day Celebration April 1999

Publications and articles include:
•    “Doing the Greenfield Deal: What Developers and Broadband Suppliers Need to Know,” Broadband Properties magazine, September 2005
•    “Evolving Legal Strategies for an Evolving Industry,” chapter in the May 2005 published legal book, “Inside the Minds — Winning Legal Strategies for Telecom Companies.”
•    “Wiring the Future – The New Trend in Master Planned Communities,” a four-part series of interviews and articles with Mr. Freedman, appeared in the October 2001 and January 2002 issues of “Builder and Architect” magazine
•    “Negotiating Competition,” scholarly article published in the Administrative Law Journal of the American Bar Association and American University Law School in September 2000
•    “Dialing for Tenants — New Entrants Seek Access to Multiple Dwelling Units,” published in Legal Times (Telecommunications Special Report) May 3, 1999
•    Inside Litigation (March 1997) (interviewed on telecommunications issues)
•    “Telecommunications and Deregulating Industries: Creative Lawyering for a New Business Frontier,” Spring, 1997 interview for Washington College of Law’s Business Law Society, by whom he was also recognized as an “Alumni in the Spotlight”
•    “Telecommunications Act’s ADR Approach,” Alternatives, November 1996

•    More Publications…
Before Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge
Mr. Freedman was born and raised in Southern California. He played varsity football in high school and college and wrote and edited the student newspaper in college and law school. He attended law school in the evening division while working for the American Bar Association in the alternative dispute resolution (“ADR”) field as a staff intern, and staff counsel. He wrote numerous articles and publications and participated in many nationwide trainings and conference presentations on ADR.

Mr. Freedman took a three year sabbatical from his twenty years of law practice to hold the positions of President and Chief Executive Officer of WorldNet Telecommunications Inc., a competitive telecommunications company founded in 1996 and headquartered in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He held this position for three years from 2006 to 2009. Mr. Freedman, as WorldNet’s President and CEO, was responsible for the overall strategic direction and management of WorldNet’s $60 plus million per year telecommunications business and 200 employees. Mr. Freedman successfully led WorldNet in three core missions to (a) deploy a state of the art network (including an internet protocol/ broadband central switch, a state of the art network operating center, and 11 remote offices throughout Puerto Rico), (b) develop a sophisticated financial budgeting and forecasting system, and (c) implement an innovative sales and marketing strategy reflecting both new ideas for this market as well as the best practices of telecommunications companies worldwide. WorldNet, during Mr. Freedman’s leadership, earned recognition as one of the “20 Best Employers,” and, the “Zenith Award” from the Puerto Rico Chamber of Commerce as “Best Telecommunications Carrier in Puerto Rico.”

Besides Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge
Larry has been active in various community service and pro bono activities. Among many such activities, he served for several years as a volunteer attorney at the Greentree Shelter (now known as National Center for Children and Families [“NCCF”]), has also worked pro bono for the Washington Studio School, and developed the peer mediation program for Bradley Hills Elementary School, an effort for which he was formally recognized with an award from the American Bar Association to his firm. He and his family maintain an active role in community service activities for NCCF. Among other things, his son, Ross, was named “Community Youth Leader” of the Year for NCCF for 2003 for his role in their “Big Buddy” program, a program in which his other son Scott also participated. He and his wife were named “Community Volunteers of the Year” by NCCF. The Freedman family has for the past ten years also personally sponsored and supported a number of activities for the JC Nalle Elementary School in the Anacostia section of Wshington, DC, including among other things an annual holiday party for the children, sports clinics, art programs, and inspirational programs. He has participated in the “Art and Soul” NCCF Charity Event. Larry is now in the process of establishing a new community service project to model outreach partnerships to schools and community groups.

He is married to Mary Freedman, an artist and teacher of art and art appreciation to underprivileged youth. Mary Freedman has been recognized in her own right for her activities in the Greentree Adolescent Program at NCCF. They have two sons, Ross and Scott.  Mr. Freedman has been active in youth activities and sports, including playing competitive basketball, soccer, and squash, and over thirty seasons of coaching youth soccer, baseball and basketball.