This past year has brought accelerated restructuring to regulated industries across the country. Telecommunications providers and electric utilities, and their lawyers, have been busy charting new courses, seizing new opportunities and facing new difficulties as their markets are opened to competition. Perhaps it should not be surprising that deregulation is keeping our regulators awfully busy. In these interesting times, the Administrative Law Section continues to provide valuable service to both the practicing bar and, more generally, to the regulatory community in Virginia.
A new initiative undertaken by the Section is the publication of Reports issued by the Office of Hearing Examiners at the State Corporation Commission.
Orders of the Commission itself are published annually, but until now there has been no resource for the detailed reports which precede those orders, and which are often merely incorporated by reference. Hearing Examiner's reports and rulings have been collected since the first of this year, and the Section is now conducting a survey to determine the best means for making them available. Several different computer and on-line formats are being considered. Reaction to this project has been most positive.
The National Regulatory Conference is co- sponsored annually by the Administrative Law Section, the State Corporation Commission and the Marshall-Wythe School of Law at William and Mary. This year's conference, held May 5 and 6 in Williamsburg, was entitled "Competition in the Local Telecommunications Market: Delivering on the Promises of the Telecommunications Act of 1996." In addition to serving as host, the law school's Dean Thomas Krattenmaker, an expert in the field of telecommunications law, provided the keynote address. Panels addressed topics including procedure under the Federal Telecommunications Act, regulatory takings, antitrust implications, local franchising and new technology. The consensus at its conclusion was that this year's conference ranked among the most interesting and valuable. Credit goes largely to Conference Chair Eric Page and his steering committee.
The Administrative Law News provided members with both notice of Section activities and articles on substantive developments in administrative law and regulation. Editor John Paul Jones established a high standard for the newsletter when he took the reins several years ago, and has consistently met that standard throughout his tenure. J.P. is now handing those reins to John Sharer and Jim Guy, who will be serving as co- editors.
At the State Bar's Annual Meeting in June, our Section, together with the Environmental Law Section, co-sponsored a workshop on "The Legal Ethics of Ex Parte Communication with Agencies." The program, which was both well attended and very well received, was moderated by Louis Monacell, who was also responsible for its planning.
Following the workshop, the Section held its annual business meeting at which Vishwa Link and Mark LaFratta were elected, and Kodwo Ghartey-Tagoe re-elected, to the Board of Governors for terms ending June, 2001, and the following officers were elected for the coming year:
Eric Page, Chair
Tony Gambardella, Vice Chair
Ed Petrini, Secretary