Effect on Telecom Industry of Change in Local Number Portability Administrator
A report by EI Principal Hal J. Singer finds that transitioning to a new U.S. local number portability (LNP) administrator would impose costs of approximately $719 million on telecommunications firms. The change would also seriously reduce the quality of customer service. The report was commissioned by Neustar Inc., a provider of real-time information and analytics as well as clearinghouse and directory services to the telecommunications industry. Dr. Singer was assisted by EI economists Anna X. Koyfman and Kevin W. Caves.
AK Steel Acquires Assets of Severstal
The Department of Justice Antitrust Division allowed AK Steel’s acquisition of certain assets of Severstal North America to proceed without a second request. The assets acquired included Severstal’s Dearborn Michigan steel mill, which like AK produces a variety of flat-rolled steel products. EI Principal Joseph W. McAnneny assisted attorneys from Weil Gotshal in preparing an antitrust defense of the acquisition. EI Vice President Henry B. McFarland also assisted in preparing the defense.
Conferences on Antitrust and Intellectual Property in Asia
EI Vice President Su Sun recently spoke at the ABA Section of Intellectual Property Law’s Spring Conference. At that conference, he discussed the increasing role of economic analysis in patent infringement litigation and antitrust countersuits in China. Dr. Sun also recently spoke about careers in antitrust at a conference on “Antitrust in Asia.” That conference was sponsored by the ABA Antitrust Section and the Expert Advisory Committee of the Anti-Monopoly Commission of China’s State Council.