Mitchell Lazarus

Mitchell Lazarus has 35 years’ experience representing clients at the Federal Communications Commission and other federal agencies. Schooled in both law and electrical engineering, Lazarus specializes in the regulation of new telecommunications technologies. He has helped dozens of manufacturers and service providers win FCC authorizations for innovative products and services.

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FCC Fine-Tunes Experimental Licensing Rules

By Mitchell Lazarus on July 13, 2015 Posted in Unlicensed Operations and Emerging Technologies

New changes affect radio astronomy frequencies, emergency service providers, and medical telemetry bands, among others. It doesn’t matter if you’re a technology titan, a two-man start-up in a garage, or a spare-time basement tinkerer. You can make your radio tests legal with an FCC experimental license. The cost is not high – $65 for two … Continue Reading

Student Proposal: Getting Interference? Tell It to the Judge!

By Mitchell Lazarus on June 20, 2015 Posted in Cellular, Media, Unlicensed Operations and Emerging Technologies, Wireless

After 81 years, the FCC has still not fulfilled its congressional mandate to "prevent interference between stations."… Continue Reading

Mitchell Lazarus Says Thanks

By Mitchell Lazarus on April 10, 2015 Posted in FHH

It being all too easy for us to lose sight of our capacity to help one another, we think it's right to pass along to our readers a reminder -- from our colleague, Mitchell Lazarus -- of the importance of lending a hand.… Continue Reading

On the 76-81 GHz Screen: More Radar, Less Amateur?

By Mitchell Lazarus on February 8, 2015 Posted in Unlicensed Operations and Emerging Technologies

Just a few years ago, technical constraints made it difficult to design equipment for the upper reaches of the millimeter wave bands. Since then, a corps of clever engineers have overcome the problems and applications have proliferated.… Continue Reading

Don’t Look Now, But the FCC Took Your Broadband Away

By Mitchell Lazarus on February 5, 2015 Posted in Cable, Internet

The redefinition of "broadband" is meant to reflect changes in how people use their Internet connections. Much of that change can be summed up in one word: Netflix.… Continue Reading

FCC Imagines 10 Gb/s 5G Mobile Service Using 24+ GHz

By Mitchell Lazarus on October 26, 2014 Posted in Cellular, Deadlines, Wireless

Engineers are never satisfied. Even when "4G" mobile service was still a new idea, the engineers had begun thinking ahead to what will eventually become 5G.… Continue Reading

FCC Rethinks Wireless Microphones

By Mitchell Lazarus on October 10, 2014 Posted in Unlicensed Operations and Emerging Technologies

Many of the alternative bands would require developing technologies not currently used by wireless microphones. In the meantime, the FCC is hoping to make maximum use of unlicensed operation.… Continue Reading

Regulating the Internet “Like a Utility” Won’t Yield an Open Internet – Unless …

By Mitchell Lazarus on October 1, 2014 Posted in Internet

We know our proposed approach works because it did work, very well, all through the Internet's dial-up days.… Continue Reading

FCC Adopts ANSI C63.1-2013 for 1920-1930 MHz

By Mitchell Lazarus on August 15, 2014 Posted in Cellular, Unlicensed Operations and Emerging Technologies, Wireless

If the headline does not tell you much, you can safely skip the post.… Continue Reading

Congress Says Unlocking Cell Phones is Okay

By Mitchell Lazarus on July 29, 2014 Posted in Cellular, Intellectual Property, Wireless

When you've bought a phone, haven't you also bought the software inside it? That's what a reasonable person might think. But judges do not necessarily conform to the usual standards of reasonableness.… Continue Reading

Congress Contemplates Cohabitation at 5.85-5.925 GHz

By Mitchell Lazarus on July 24, 2014 Posted in Unlicensed Operations and Emerging Technologies

The crack electrical engineers and spectrum policy experts elected to Congress are thinking about telling the FCC what it should be doing about authorizing unlicensed operation in the 5.85-5.295 GHz band.… Continue Reading

Parties Seek Reconsideration of 5.8 GHz Unlicensed Rules

By Mitchell Lazarus on July 15, 2014 Posted in Unlicensed Operations and Emerging Technologies

Because the comment period will be short, we are giving you a heads-up now so you can begin to prepare your filings.… Continue Reading

Oh, the Irony: Parking Meter Company Fined for Poor Timing

By Mitchell Lazarus on July 4, 2014 Posted in Enforcement, Unlicensed Operations and Emerging Technologies

If you have a competitor, the FCC has a free-lance enforcement agent watching you.… Continue Reading

FCC to Chinese Jammer Company: We’re Taking Yuan!

By Mitchell Lazarus on June 20, 2014 Posted in Enforcement

The FCC has long gone after companies that import illegal electronic products, like jammers. Now it is going after a source overseas.… Continue Reading

FCC Rejects an Unlicensed Spectrum Etiquette – Again

By Mitchell Lazarus on June 11, 2014 Posted in Unlicensed Operations and Emerging Technologies

The concept of a spectrum etiquette in the unlicensed bands has vampire-like propensities, repeatedly rising from an apparent grave to cast its dark shadow across the village.… Continue Reading

Same Old Status Quo at 902-928 MHz

By Mitchell Lazarus on June 10, 2014 Posted in Unlicensed Operations and Emerging Technologies

It took eight years, but the FCC has walked away from a 2006 proposal that laid out possible new rules for the 902-928 MHz band.… Continue Reading

Serial Petitioner Sustains Fourteenth Loss

By Mitchell Lazarus on June 9, 2014 Posted in Enforcement

You have to admire somebody who just won't quit. No matter what.… Continue Reading

Wireless Microphone Users Face Worsening Spectrum Shortage

By Mitchell Lazarus on June 5, 2014 Posted in Unlicensed Operations and Emerging Technologies

Wireless microphone users are fighting for spectrum. Here is why - and what the FCC is doing about it.… Continue Reading

Lawyer Responds to Amateur Radio

By Mitchell Lazarus on May 29, 2014 Posted in FHH, Unlicensed Operations and Emerging Technologies

A recent Reddit posting called me a "lawyer hostile to amateur radio." The charge of "hostility" is unwarranted and contrary to the facts.… Continue Reading

Foreign Fake Phones Fetch Forfeiture Forewarning

By Mitchell Lazarus on May 21, 2014 Posted in Cellular, Enforcement, Wireless

Counterfeit Rolexes, sure. Or Coach bags. But cell phones? Blackberrys? Really?… Continue Reading

FCC Whacks Cell Phone Vigilante $48,000 for Jammer Use

By Mitchell Lazarus on May 1, 2014 Posted in Cellular, Enforcement, Wireless

A jammer can do more harm than good. And it gets very expensive, if the FCC tracks you down.… Continue Reading

FCC Proposes New Approach to Spectrum Management

By Mitchell Lazarus on April 27, 2014 Posted in Unlicensed Operations and Emerging Technologies

The FCC's new idea could completely remake how the world handles spectrum. But it sure has a lot of moving parts.… Continue Reading

An Internet-on-Airplanes Upgrade

By Mitchell Lazarus on April 21, 2014 Posted in Internet, Wireless

The FCC has given in-flight Internet an upgrade, a benefit for all of us who like to lean back at 35,000 feet and watch silly cat videos.… Continue Reading

Another Big Audio Manufacturer Makes Another Big Settlement

By Mitchell Lazarus on April 20, 2014 Posted in Unlicensed Operations and Emerging Technologies

In none of the recent cases was the equipment shown actually to cause interference. There are not even allegations that the equipment exceeded the FCC's technical limits.… Continue Reading