Ronald W. Del Sesto

Ron represents technology and communications companies on a broad range of issues, including corporate, financial, regulatory, cybersecurity, and issues related to telemarketing, email and Short Message Service (SMS) marketing. Ron also advises financial institutions, private equity firms and venture capital funds with respect to investments in the telecommunications, media, and technology (TMT) sectors, and he negotiates commercial agreements in the cloud services and computing space for service providers and enterprise users.

Ron is a trusted adviser in the tech, media, and telecom (TMT) sectors, guiding clients through challenges in ecommerce, cloud computing, cybersecurity, privacy, and the provision of emergency services. His diverse clientele includes global telecom providers, internet service providers (ISPs), financial institutions, and Voice Over Internet protocol (VoIP) service providers. Ron regularly represents clients before the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and state regulators. His practice includes advising clients concerning complex corporate transactions, including mergers, equity and debt issuances. Ron also advises on privacy laws, data security and lawful surveillance, ensuring compliance with federal statutes such as the Patriot Act and Electronic Communications Privacy Act (and state analogs). In addition to drafting and negotiating high-tech, telecom, cloud computing and services contracts for service providers and enterprise end-users – as well as dark fiber leases and Indefeasible Rights of Use (IRUs) agreements – Ron works with Fortune 500 companies on complex technology deals.

Ron advises clients on a diverse array of regulatory issues, including the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA) and Communications Decency Act (CDA); access to and use of numbering resources; use of Short Message Services (SMS) messaging by traditional providers of communications services and “over-the-top” service providers; and FCC and state laws and rules addressing the provision of emergency 911 services using a multitude of technologies, such as IP-enabled services in corporate and campus environments employing Multi-Line Telephone Systems (MLTS) through traditional or cloud-based technologies.

Ron also counsels clients on privacy issues that implicate a myriad of federal statutes and rules, including the FCC’s Customer Proprietary Network Information (CPNI) rules; retention marketing and “winback” rules; the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA); the FTC’s rules on identity theft, red flags and telemarketing sales; and the CAN-SPAM Act. He advises clients with respect to the use of location-based data by mobile applications and assists clients in implementing best practices when handling personally identifiable information. He’s also familiar with the self-regulatory industry practices established by various trade associations, as well as FTC rulings and other reports and analyses released by the FCC, the FTC, and state attorneys general that provide guidance to the industry.

Prior to joining Cooley, Ron was a partner in the corporate practice of an international law firm. During law school, he was an executive editorial board member and lead articles editor of the Catholic University Law Review, as well as a Vernon X. Miller Scholar.