Nancy J. Victory
SociaCo-Chair, Global Telecom Regulatory Practice
Nancy has extensive experience in communications issues and transactions. She advises a broad cross-section of the telecommunications and media industry on the business implications of regulatory policy and represents these entities before the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), Congress, CFIUS, Team Telecom, and state public utility commissions.
Nancy has particular experience in wireless and satellite issues, including spectrum allocation, licensing, compliance, and regulatory requirements. She also has substantial experience in telephony and broadband regulatory matters, particularly where new technology or changing market conditions conflict with the historic regulation. Nancy additionally handles submarine cable licensing and regulatory matters for clients around the globe. She has particular expertise with respect to non-U.S. ownership issues, having regularly represented companies before Team Telecom and CFIUS, negotiated mitigation agreements where required, and counselled companies with respect to ongoing compliance. She also regularly counsels clients on a wide variety of FCC and state compliance matters and has substantial experience in representing clients in enforcement proceedings.
Nancy has extensive transactional experience, having taken a lead role in securing FCC approval for transactions ranging from small wireless or broadcast license transfers to the largest communications mergers of the last decades. She served as lead regulatory counsel to T-Mobile and Deutsche Telekom in securing federal, state and international regulatory approvals for T-Mobile's merger with Sprint, which was recognized by TMT Finance as their "2020 Telecom Deal of the Year – Global." Nancy's role included briefing the T-Mobile Board, developing merger advocacy and messaging for the transaction, responding to extensive regulator inquiries and third-party opposition, and negotiating commitments required for FCC approval. She also advised T-Mobile on the divestiture of Sprint's prepaid wireless business to DISH. Her work bringing the T Mobile/Sprint merger to fruition was also written up in The American Lawyer. Nancy continues to advise T-Mobile regarding the company's compliance with hundreds of merger commitments, including a first-of-its-kind nationwide 5G drive test to demonstrate compliance with the company's coverage commitments.
Rated by Chambers USA as Band 1 in her field, Nancy is praised by a client for being "one of my most trusted advisers because of her sound and practical advice," while another notes that she "is highly responsive, knowledgeable, and provides quality written documents and analysis as well as providing strong and persuasive representation before regulators." (2023) Chambers USA further notes that she has "substantial experience in handling regulatory and antitrust matters, including issues arising from market-leading M&A across a range of sectors." (2023) She was also named a "Hall of Fame Lawyer" by The Legal 500 in the Telecom Regulatory category and a "Leading Lawyer" in the telecom Transaction category, which notes "her experience working with major carriers on the regulatory aspects of M&A, foreign ownership, and enforcement matters." (2023)
EXPERIENCE
- Member, State Department Advisory Committee on International Communications and Information Policy (2009-Present). Named by Ambassadors Phillip Verveer and Daniel Sepulveda to provide advice in the formulation of United States communications and information policy, positions, and proposals for multilateral and bilateral consultations, and negotiations on communications and information policy issues
- Chair, FCC Independent Panel Reviewing the Impact of Hurricane Katrina on Communications Networks (January-June 2006). Named by FCC Chairman Kevin Martin to head the panel reviewing the impact of the hurricane on telecommunications and media infrastructure and make recommendations to the Commission regarding ways to improve disaster preparedness, network reliability, and communication among first responders
- Chair, FCC Advisory Committee for the 2007 World Radiocommunication Conference (2003-2007). Named by FCC Chairman Michael Powell to head efforts to assemble US industry positions on spectrum use issues in preparation for the conference
- Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and Administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (2001-2003). Appointed by President Bush to serve as his advisor on domestic and international communications policy and manager of the federal government's use of spectrum. Managed 250-person agency comprised of policy staff, grant administrators, spectrum engineers, and lab facilities. Achievements included:
- Launch of comprehensive spectrum management reform effort, including Presidential memorandum calling for recommendations to improve spectrum management and historic memorandum with the FCC for closer coordination and use of spectrum
- Addressed spectrum needs of new technologies by devising plans to make 90 MHz available for advanced (3G) wireless services and 255 MHz available for unlicensed wireless use
- Contracted with private sector companies for management of .us and .edu top-level domains and assisted with legislation signed by the President creating a safe space for children on the Internet (.kids.us)
- J.D., Georgetown University Law Center
Georgetown Law Review
cum laude - A.B., Princeton University
with honors
Awards
Chambers USA
- Band 1, District of Columbia Telecom, Broadcast & Satellite (2022-2024)
- Band 2, District of Columbia Telecom, Broadcast & Satellite (2018-2020)
- Band 3, District of Columbia Telecom, Broadcast & Satellite (2017)
The Legal 500 United States
- Hall of Fame, Telecoms & Broadcast: Regulatory (2023-2024)
- Leading Lawyer, Telecoms and Broadcast: Regulatory (2018-2022)
- Recommended, Telecoms and Broadcast: Regulatory (2009, 2014, 2017)
- Leading Lawyer, Telecoms and Broadcast: Transactional (2021-2024)
- Recommended, Telecoms and Broadcast: Transactional (2015, 2018-2020)
Additional Awards
- Recognized as "MVP" in Telecommunications by Law360 (2018)
- Named by The Deal as finalist for Lawyer of the Year, Technology & Telecom Dealmakers (2018)
- Named by Law360 as a Technology MVP (2013)
- Named by Lawdragon as one of "500 Leading Lawyers in America" (2014) and as one of "3000 Leading Lawyers in America" (2010-2011)
- Included in The Best Lawyers in America directory for Communications Law (2014-2019)
- Named one of DC's "Top 100 Lawyers" (2016), "Top 50 Women Lawyers" (2016, 2018-2019), and "Super Lawyers" for Communications (2012-2023) by Super Lawyers magazine
- Named one of "Washington's Best Lawyers" (2011, 2013) and one of "Washington's Top Lawyers" (2009) by Washingtonian magazine
- Named in the Legal Media Group's Expert Guides: Women in Business Law for her work in Telecommunications (2012)
- Included in the Legal Media Group's Expert Guides: Guide to the World's Leading Telecommunications Lawyers (2011)
- Inducted into the Minority Media & Telecommunications Council Hall of Fame (2007)
Bylines
- Co-author, "Understanding Arcane Policy Decisions About Spectrum," Law360, January 31, 2017
Seminars
- Panelist, "The 1996 Telecom Act: Where We've Been and Where We're Going," ABA Antitrust Section Feb 8 2017
Memberships And Affiliations
- Federal Communications Bar Association (FCBA)
- US Chamber of Commerce, Telecommunications and E-Commerce Committee
