Mr. Senter has specialized in the representation of clients in the broadcast, cable and telecommunications industries since 1980. Originally primarily a litigator, handling both comparative licensing proceedings before the Federal Communications Commission and complex federal district court litigation, Mr. Senter transformed himself into a regulatory, transactional and commercial lawyer in the 1990s following the deregulation of the communications industry. He has represented clients, from individuals to CBS Corporation, in the purchase or sale of numerous radio and television stations, and has served as the lead attorney on transactions ranging in size from under $1 million to over $1.4 billion.
Mr. Senter counsels radio and television groups, wireless telecommunications companies, cable program services, and banks and investment companies that lend to or invest in telecommunications companies. In addition to advising them on day-to-day regulatory matters, he also provides assistance in the structuring of acquisitions and investments in compliance with FCC regulations, often working with other law firms and in-house counsel.
Mr. Senter has also had a long-time interest in data communications that pre-dates the development of the Internet. He represented Telerate in the 1980s prior to its acquisition by Dow Jones. See Telerate Systems, Inc. v. Caro, 689 F.Supp. 221 (S.D.N.Y. 1988). Most recently, he has represented clients investing in developmental-stage datacasting businesses using new technologies, as well as clients active in more traditional e-commerce ventures.
Mr. Senter has served as co-chair of the following committees of the Federal Communications Bar Association: the Committee on Cooperation with the FCC Review Board and Administrative Law Judges, 1985-86; the Transactional Practice Committee, 1993-94; and the Ad Hoc Committee on Opinion Letters, 1992-94. In addition, he has served as chairman of the Database Copyright Registration Subcommittee (1989-90) and the Database Protection Subcommittee (1990-92) of the American Bar Association's Intellectual Property Law Section. From 2002 until 2006, he served as a member of the board of directors of the Broadcast Cable Financial Management Association. Mr. Senter regularly participates at seminars and conferences of the Federal Communications Bar Association, the National Association of Broadcasters and the Broadcast Cable Financial Management Association.
Mr. Senter has written a number of articles including: "The FCC Rule Changes: My View, The Financial Manager (August/September 2003) (concerning the multiple ownership rules); "Thick Books, But Thin Protection," Legal Times (April 22, 1991); "Financing Broadcast Transactions: Avoiding the FCC Pitfalls," Broadcast Financial Journal (1990); "Private Intracity Data Communications Networks," Federal Bar Journal (November 1982); and "Sounding the Alarm: Sony and the Software Lock-Breaker," Computer Law Reporter (1986). Mr. Senter was also one of the co-authors of the Report of the Subcommittee on Legal Opinions published at 48 Federal Communications Law Journal 389 (June 1996).
