DLA Piper is pleased to announce that Edward “Smitty” Smith, chair of the firm’s Regulatory and Government Affairs practice, has been named to Washingtonian’s 2022 list of the 500 Most Influential People in Washington, DC. The list recognizes experts and advocates outside the government who are shaping public policy in the nation’s capital.
Smith is a leading telecommunications lawyer who advises clients on the full range of issues in the wireless and satellite sectors before the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the US Department of Justice, Congress, state regulators and state attorneys general. He also serves as DLA Piper’s national diversity and inclusion partner and is the former managing partner of the firm’s Washington, DC office. Recently, Smith served on the Biden-Harris Administration’s FCC transition team and also as the executive director of the National Urban League’s digital equity and inclusion project.
Prior to joining DLA Piper, Smith advised the chairman of the FCC on wireless telecommunications, engineering and technology, and consumer affairs and led legal and policy teams on major issues involving the cutting edge of technological development. He oversaw FCC policymaking on issues such as 5G technology, satellites, spectrum sharing, autonomous vehicle communications, small-cell deployment and unmanned aviation systems.
