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Frank Gillman, Chris Ballod Discuss Net Neutrality with Law360

Chief Information Security Officer Frank Gillman and Philadelphia Partner Chris Ballod, CIPP/US, members of the Data Privacy & Cybersecurity Practice, were recently quoted in a Law360 article titled “4 Things GCs Need to Know About Net Neutrality.” 

The article explores the legal ramifications of the FCC vote to end net neutrality. Any business with an online component could see their daily operations drastically change. Gillman noted that businesses that rely on high-bandwidth applications to store data, schedule appointments, collaborate on documents, and more may find these internet-based capabilities too expensive to maintain long term. These businesses could be forced to cut services or use on-site options rather than online resources.

“If it’s suddenly more cost-prohibitive to reach the data you’ve just put up there, you’re going to have a trickle-down effect,” Gillman said, adding that “the cynic in me says net neutrality is going to be the thing that drives it right back to on-premise.”

Ballod observed that perhaps the greatest challenge facing general counsel is the uncertainty surrounding the effects and future of net neutrality. While the current regulations are set to end in June, political partisanship surrounding the issue could mean that the government will continue to change its stance on net neutrality for years to come. This ambiguity makes it even more challenging for GCs to advise their clients in advance of the June 11 end date.

"GCs have to be worried about their credibility," he said. "It puts all of our credibility in jeopardy if we make any…sort of [false] prognostication."

Read the complete article here.

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