Bill LeBeau

Francis William LeBeau is a governmental attorney in Holland & Knight's Washington, D.C., office and a member of the firm's Communications Team and Media Practice Team. Mr. LeBeau focuses on federal regulatory issues relating to broadcast and other media, as well as transactions involving all manner of Federal Communications Commission (FCC) authorizations, among other federal communications matters.

Having served as in-house regulatory counsel to NBC Universal and Telemundo until Spring 2009, Mr. LeBeau is well-versed in representing television and radio stations, broadcast and non-broadcast networks, national and local radio companies, and online programmers and distributors before the FCC. He also has in-depth knowledge of FCC matters affecting non-broadcast networks, having served as a leading non-broadcast programmer’s outside FCC counsel until its successful sale to a third party in 2018. As former in-house counsel, Mr. LeBeau has an in-depth understanding as to the practical issues these and similar matters present to companies seeking a reasonable approach to federal regulation.

Mr. LeBeau has developed innovative and successful FCC solutions for parties in several major media transactions, including companies with television, cable, radio and online content and/or distribution assets, as well as non-U.S. investors. He also routinely advises clients in matters ranging from top-level policy advocacy, broadcast and cable ownership and transactions, programming, retransmission consent and other multichannel video programming distributor (MVPD) and Internet Protocol television (IPTV) carriage negotiations. In addition, he provides counsel on regulatory compliance, including accessibility, program access, political advertising, indecency, children's programming, equal employment, product integration and other advertising issues.

Mr. LeBeau also advises clients in many other areas of federal regulation, including matters of program exclusivity and Satellite Home Viewer legislation, post-auction TV repacking requirements, FCC-related recordkeeping, network neutrality, use of spectrum, experimental and private radio licensing, and other online and emerging wireless video content issues.

Outside of the media context, Mr. LeBeau has a wealth of experience with foreign investment and creditors' rights, having obtained, among other recent successes, an unprecedented exemption for a telecommunications entity with some foreign investment from Team Telecom procedures, as well as securing more extensive creditor rights with respect to FCC authorizations, including satellites and space stations. He also has handled all manner of FCC transactional issues, including Section 214 telecom, equipment, earth station and experimental authorizations.

In addition to his legal practice, Mr. LeBeau has led or participated in a number of forums on media issues, including a multi-year stint as moderator, organizer and occasional "game-show" host for the American Bar Association/ Federal Communications Bar Association (ABA/FCBA) "Representing Your Local Broadcaster," as well as other industry and legal events.

Mr. LeBeau began his legal career as a law clerk to the Honorable David B. Sentelle, Circuit Judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C.