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Matthew DelNero

Matt DelNero provides expert regulatory counsel to companies of all sizes in the telecommunications, technology and media sectors. As a former senior official with the FCC and longtime private practitioner, Matt helps clients achieve their goals and navigate complex regulatory and public policy challenges.

Matt serves as co-chair of Covington’s Technology & Communications Regulation (“TechComm”) Practice Group and co-chair of the firm’s Inclusion initiative.

Matt advises clients on the full range of issues impacting telecommunications, technology and media providers today, including:

Structuring and securing FCC and other regulatory approvals for media and telecommunications transactions.
Obtaining approval for foreign investment in broadcasters and telecommunications providers.
Broadband funding under federal and state programs, including under the FCC’s Universal Service Fund (USF) and NTIA’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program.
Representing broadcasters, media networks, and other content owners and producers on both existing and proposed FCC regulations and policies.
FCC enforcement actions and inquiries.
Online video accessibility, including under the Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA) and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Equipment authorizations for IoT and other devices.
Spectrum policy and auctions, including for 5G.
Privacy and data protection, with a focus on telecommunications and broadband providers.

Matt also maintains an active pro bono practice representing LGBTQ+ and other asylum seekers, as well as veterans petitioning for discharge upgrades—including discharges under ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ and predecessor policies that targeted LGBTQ+ servicemembers.

Prior to rejoining Covington in January 2017, Matt served as Chief of the FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau. He played a leading role in development of policies around net neutrality, broadband privacy, and broadband deployment and affordability under the federal Universal Service Fund (USF).

Chambers USA ranks Matt within “Band 1” in his field and reports that he is a “go-to attorney for complex matters before the FCC and other federal agencies, drawing on impressive former government experience.” It also quotes clients who praise him as “an outstanding regulatory lawyer...[who] understands the intersection between what’s important for the client’s operations and how the law impacts those operations."

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Late this afternoon, the U.S. Supreme Court granted a stay of the Fourth Circuit’s decision setting aside the FCC Media Bureau’s guidance on entitlement to the lowest unit charge (“LUC”) for certain political ads placed on broadcast TV and radio.  See our prior post about this issue here.  Notably, the 60-day political window for the November midterms begins today, so broadcasters’ obligation to afford qualifying buys the LUC is now in effect.

As a result of today’s decision, the FCC Media Bureau’s guidance is back in effect.  That guidance found that two types of broadcast political ads were entitled to the LUC: ads paid for as “party coordinated expenditures” (meaning ads paid for by a party in coordination with a federal candidate), and ads placed by joint fundraising committees involving a federal candidate.

Continue Reading Supreme Court Action Revives FCC Media Bureau’s Political Ad Guidance

On August 25, 2026, a divided panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit set aside guidance by the FCC’s Media Bureau stating that two types of political advertising were entitled to the favorable “lowest unit charge” (“LUC”) rate: ads paid for as “party coordinated expenditures,” meaning ads paid for by a party in coordination with a federal candidate, and ads placed by joint fundraising committees involving a federal candidate. This question had become particularly salient after the Supreme Court’s decision in June that struck down limits on party coordinated expenditures, allowing unlimited party spending in coordination with candidates, as we explained here. The Fourth Circuit’s ruling was in response to a challenge to the Media Bureau’s Public Notice by four Democratic candidates for federal office. The ongoing litigation has a direct and immediate impact on broadcasters and political advertisers, but its broader significance may lie in what the Fourth Circuit said about judicial review of bureau-level FCC actions.

Continue Reading Fourth Circuit Sets Aside FCC Media Bureau Guidance on Lowest Unit Charge; FCC Asks the Supreme Court to Step In

Yesterday, following a second National Security Determination from the Department of War (“DoW”), the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) clarified the scope of its ban on foreign-produced “power inverters,” a category of devices added to the FCC’s “Covered List” in late July.  This new determination revises and narrows the definition of power inverters to more…

Continue Reading FCC Narrows Covered List Definition of “Power Inverters” and Clarifies Meaning of “Foreign-Produced”

On July 28, 2026, the FCC added foreign-produced power inverters and advanced robotic devices to its Covered List, following determinations by an executive branch interagency body that they pose “unacceptable risks” to the national security of the United States. The new additions continue a string of decisions placing entire categories of foreign-produced devices on…

Continue Reading FCC Restricts Imports of New Foreign-Produced Power Inverters and Advanced Robotic Devices with Additions to its Covered List

On July 22, the Federal Communications Commission (the “FCC”) approved a Report and Order (the “Order”) to simplify the requirements for the broadband consumer label (the “Label”) that all ISPs have been required to provider to consumers since 2024.  The Order is meant to “refocus the rules on ensuring that consumers have the clear, accurate…

Continue Reading FCC Simplifies Broadband Consumer Label Requirements

The Federal Communications Commission’s (“FCC” or “Commission”) Media Bureau has launched a new Public Notice (the “Notice”) seeking public comment on sports broadcasting practices and recent marketplace developments, as the distribution of live sports programming continues to evolve across broadcast, cable, and streaming platforms.

For decades, live sports have been closely intertwined with broadcast television…

Continue Reading FCC Opens Inquiry into Sports Broadcasting Practices and Marketplace Developments

On January 21, 2026, the FCC’s Media Bureau released a Public Notice providing new guidance on how it will evaluate whether broadcast television stations have triggered an obligation to provide “equal opportunities” to political candidates under Section 315 of the Communications Act.  

The FCC’s equal opportunities rule generally says that if a station gives…

Continue Reading FCC Issues Guidance Focused on Candidate Appearances on Talk Shows

Updated December 4, 2025.  Originally posted November 13, 2025

At the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s) Open Meeting in late October, the agency unanimously adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that proposes to end certain legacy interconnection obligations of Local Exchange Carriers (LECs) to accelerate the transition to all Internet Protocol (IP) networks.

Currently, certain…

Continue Reading FCC Proposes Rule Changes to Accelerate Transition to IP Networks

Today, the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) released the final text of a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NPRM”) aimed at identifying FCC regulated entities that are controlled by a “foreign adversary.”

This development, along with a separate action recently taken by the FCC to adopt new rules that prohibit the use of test labs or telecommunication certification bodies located in certain jurisdictions outside the U.S., reflect a continued and growing focus by the FCC on national security, particularly with respect to foreign ownership.

The NPRM proposes to, among other things:

  • Define a “foreign adversary” as “any foreign government or foreign non-government person determined by the Secretary [of Commerce] to have engaged in a long-term pattern or serious instances of conduct significantly adverse to the national security of the United States or security and safety of United States persons.”
Continue Reading FCC Looks to Identify Telecom Investments by Foreign Adversaries

Updated June 24, 2025.  Originally posted April 30, 2025.

In April, the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NPRM”) that proposes to clarify existing definitions in the FCC’s foreign ownership rules and codify certain practices regarding the filing requirements for, and the agency’s processing of, foreign ownership petitions (Petitions…

Continue Reading FCC Proposes Changes to Foreign Ownership Rules and Related Filings Processes