Ronald E. Quirk, Jr

Senior Managing Attorney

Ronald E. Quirk, Jr. is Head of The CommLaw Group’s Internet of Things & Connected Devices Practice Group. Mr. Quirk’s career spans more than 20 years, including several years at AMLAW 100 firms and the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”).

t. (703) 714-1305

f. (703) 563-6222

Ronald E. Quirk is the Head of the Internet of Things and Connected Devices Practice at Marashlian & Donahue PLLC, located in Tysons, VA. He focuses his practice primarily on federal, state, and international administrative law, with an emphasis on regulation, adjudication, and policy. Mr. Quirk brings extensive legal experience to his current client representation. His career spans more than 25 years, including several years at AMLAW 100 firms and the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”). He has successfully represented clients ranging from sole proprietorships to Fortune 500 corporations, in matters before the FCC, Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”), Department of Justice (“DoJ”), the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”), the U.S. Department of Commerce, state public utility commissions (“PUCs”), international regulatory entities, and state and federal courts. Mr. Quirk’s specialties include assisting clients with telecommunications regulatory compliance and regulatory enforcement proceedings.

Mr. Quirk’s experience encompasses a wide variety of legal, regulation and policy matters. During his tenure at the AMLAW 100 firms, Mr. Quirk counseled telecommunications and information service clients ranging from solo proprietorships to Fortune 500 companies on various matters including: colocation and interconnection, radiofrequency (RF) equipment authorization, wireless licensing, Universal Service, digital transition, pricing flexibility, privacy, special access, spectrum allocation, roaming, federal preemption, E911, payphone compensation, number portability and assignment, service charges, interference, and federal state, and local siting regulations. He successfully represented his clients before the FCC and other federal agencies, as well as federal courts, and state and local government entities.

Mr. Quirk’s current client base includes radiofrequency equipment (RF) manufacturers and importers, small cell & distributed antenna systems (DAS) providers, wireless carriers, satellite & earth station operators, tower owners, voice over internet protocol (VoIP) carriers, broadcasters, and public safety entities. In addition to successfully representing his clients before the aforementioned courts and agencies, Mr. Quirk provides specialized compliance guidance, including best practices and risk assessment services.

Recently, Mr. Quirk has been instrumental in successfully representing clients in high-profile regulatory matters, such as the FCC’s STIR/SHAKEN robocall mitigation program, and Rip & Replace, in which telecommunications providers sought reimbursement for replacing equipment that the federal government deemed a threat to national security. Mr. Quirk also successfully obtained an FCC rule waiver for a major municipality, which enabled it to keep its public safety wireless licenses which the FCC had rescinded.

Mr. Quirk’s specialties include RF equipment authorization & marketing compliance, experimental licensing, small cell & DAS equipment siting, equipment leasing and purchase agreements, spectrum allocation, auctions & leasing, wireless and satellite licensing, proposal writing, rulemaking proceedings, contract review, unlicensed spectrum matters, colocation and interconnection, FCC enforcement proceedings, mergers & acquisitions, data collection & customer privacy, and state & federal Universal Service processes.

Additional Information

Mr. Quirk has published several articles and white papers on various topical telecommunications issues, including: FCC compliance, spectrum auctions, wireless telecommunications tax, unlicensed telecommunications, state and federal privacy laws, equipment authorization and marketing, and bankruptcy.

  • Author: “Maintaining HIPAA Compliance While Preparing for HIPAA Audits,” Health IT Security, June 24, 2015;
  • “Much Ado About Spectrum,” Wireless Design and Development, May 2008;
  • “Open Access at 700 MHz: Opening Doors for Mobile Devices,” Wireless Design and Development, January 2008;
  • “The DTV Transition: Unlimited Equipment Opportunities,” Wireless Design and Development, July 2007;
  • “Unlicensed Communications Products and the FCC: Deploy Carefully – the Network you save could be your Own,” Wireless Design and Development, February 2007;
  • “Barcodes on Steroids; The Perceived Mandatory Microchip Implant Threat and Other Reasons for RFID Privacy Laws,” Techlink, August 2006;
  • “FCC Compliance Challenges,” RFID Journal, May 25, 2006; “Don’t Get Behind the Regulatory Eight-Ball,” RFID Journal, April 11, 2005;
  • “FTC Doesn’t Want to Get Involved in Rulemaking for now, Neither Do GOP Senators,” RFID Operations, May 2005;
  • “Regulatory Roundup” Monthly Column, RFID Operations, April 2005 – August 2005;
  • “RFID: Rapid Implementation and Regulatory Challenges,” White Paper, Venable LLP, January 2005;
  • “Preventing a Haven for Wrongdoers, The Regulatory Exemption to Bankruptcy’s Automatic Stay,” The Bankruptcy Strategist, March 2003;
  • “States’ Mobile Tax Rules: Creating Order Out of Chaos?” State and Local Communications Report, December 7, 2001;
  • “Internet Access Providers: Common or Uncommon Carriers?” FCC Report, April 9, 1997;
  • “Republicans Urge Broadcast Deregulation” Radio Ink, January 2, 1995;
  • “Creative MCI Uses Marketing, Courts to Carve Out Market Shares,” Washington Telecom News, April 25, 1994;
  • “Professors Trade Views on Constitutionality of Brooks Bill,” Telephone Week, June 8, 1992.
  • Executive Editor, Frequency (Venable LLP’s telecommunications law and policy newsletter) 2003-2008; Wavelength (Alston & Bird LLP’s telecommunications law and policy newsletter) 2001-2003

Mr. Quirk is a graduate with distinction from George Mason University(1988), and he earned his Juris Doctorate from Catholic University School of Law in 1994, where he also earned a Certificate from the Institute for Communications Law Studies.   While at Catholic, Mr. Quirk was Lead Article Editor for the communications legal journal, CommLaw Conspectus.

Mr. Quirk is a member of the Federal Communications Bar Association and the American Bar Association. He is licensed to practice in Virginia and the District of Columbia.

Robocalling Enforcement for Voice Providers Around the World is Days Away – What to Do? – Competitive Carriers Association May 2022

FAA Part 98 Creates Regulatory Environment to Enable More Commercial Opportunities for Drones in the U.S. – IEAC Oxford June 2021

CBRS PAL Auction Rules & Process – The Besen Group April 2020

Expand Your Markets: Keep Your RFID Business Safe from the FCC and International Enforcement Agencies – RainRFID June 2019

RFID Suppliers in the Crosshairs of FCC’s Enforcement Bureau— How to Keep Your Business Safe -RFID Journal Live April 2019

LED Suppliers Targeted by FCC Enforcement Bureau over Spectrum Interference Concerns – Digital Signage Today October 2018

Blockchain: Implementation and Legal Challenges – Acheivion Solutions June 2018

Helping Those Seeking Opportunities in IoT – Telecommunications Industry Association June 2017

Legal Limbo – Doing IoT Business in the Gray – IoT-Inc. February 2017

Hyper Data and the Data Center of Tomorrow – TIA 2016 June 2016

The Internet of Things: Growing Business Opportunities and Regulatory Challenges – The HUB Connects January 2016

Practice Areas

Communications Infrastructure
Regulatory
IoT and Consumer Devices
Privacy and Security
Commercial

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