This NCTA veteran has a powerful track record representing cable in its relationship with broadcasters—from the DTV transition to the upcoming ATSC 3.0 standard. The latter has meant many recent visits to 12th Street to drive home the industry’s concerns over what she says is currently an “incompatible broadcasting standard.” While Burstein is deeply rooted in broadcast issues, she has her eyes on the Apples and Googles of the world. “We can expect the complex legal issues surrounding the tech giants to remain hot this year,” she says.
What have been the most important legal issues in communications for you in the past year?
This past year was spent working on several legal issues relating to the interrelationship between the cable and broadcasting industries, especially with respect to the potential impact on cable operators and their customers of broadcasters’ launch of a new, incompatible broadcasting standard. I also devoted a significant amount of time to helping to ensure that the cable industry is addressing the important accessibility needs of customers.
What new legal issues do you expect in 2018?
We can expect the complex legal issues surrounding the tech giants to remain hot this year.
What movie superhero would you most like to be and how would that character fit into the legal world of communications?
Underdog: “humble and loveable” by day — just like your average communications lawyer!
