James Hobson

James R. Hobson has 35 years’ experience in cable television and wire and wireless communications as an FCC official, corporation lawyer and private legal practitioner. At the FCC from 1972-78, his posts included Special Assistant to the Chairman (1974) and Chief, Cable Television Bureau, 1976-78. As Washington Counsel for GTE, 1978-91, Mr. Hobson’s assignments included the early stages of the video dial-tone docket and the grant to GTE California of the first Telco-cable urban cross-ownership waiver in Cerritos. Congress changed the law in 1996 to allow Telco entry into cable television. Mr. Hobson has been in private practice for 17 years and has worked on video, wire and wireless communications matters for a number of clients. Mr. Hobson was a member of the statutory panel of arbitrators which in 1992 recommended changes in the 1993-94 fees paid for satellite carrier delivery of superstation and network TV signals to backyard dish receivers. Within the field of wireless communications, he has developed a specialty in public safety communications, including 9-1-1 emergency calling where he has represented the National Emergency Number Association (“NENA”) for 14 years. He currently represents or has represented more than 50 licensees in the FCC-ordered reconfiguration of the public safety spectrum at 800 MHz. This experience has led him into 700 MHz spectrum issues, including the plan to create a national public safety wireless broadband license that can inter-operate with a commercial broadband license in the so-called D Block to be auctioned in January of 2008. Mr. Hobson also is consulted regularly by local governments and citizens’ groups on the sitting of wireless communications facilities under zoning codes and ordinances. He has assisted information technology and public safety departments in negotiating for radio systems and equipment with national vendors. Mr. Hobson holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from Cornell and Georgetown Universities, and his law degree is from the University of San Francisco. He is admitted to practice in California as well as the District of Columbia. Besides having served on the American Arbitration Association’s National Panel, he is a trained mediator.