Utilities – Telecom, Energy & Water
Utilities – Telecom, Energy & Water
Utilities are where nature meets man's needs, technology and infrastructure. We help companies navigate the sometimes fractious environment of ever-changing regulation of telecommunications, energy and water companies.
For more than 70 years, client services have included representation of utilities before the Tennessee Regulatory Authority (TRA), and its predecessor the Tennessee Public Service Commission, in matters regarding:
- Rates and rate-making
- Tariffs
- Services
- Certificates of convenience and necessity
- Special contracts
- Franchise approval
- Change of corporate control
- Agreement approvals
- Numbering code denials
- Market service areas
- Audits
- Financing
- Numerous contested case disputes
We have provided representation to our clients in proceedings in which the orders of the TRA are judicially reviewed by the state appellate courts or federal district courts under the Federal Communications Act. Our attorneys also have represented utility companies in numerous state court appeals, including many of the significant appellate cases interpreting provisions of the Tennessee Telecommunications Act of 1995 and other regulatory reform legislation. We also have handled appeals of reciprocal compensation, Unbundled Network Elements (UNE), Federal Communications Commission (FCC) pre-emption and other issues arising from TRA decisions that are appealed to federal district court.
Bass, Berry & Sims' representation of public utility companies extends to a wide variety of other legal matters including commercial loan transactions, government relations, corporate governance, issuance of debt and equity securities, mergers and acquisitions, general litigation, real estate matters, employee benefits issues, tax planning and the resolution of employer-employee disputes.
Utilities are where nature meets man's needs, technology and infrastructure. We help companies navigate the sometimes fractious environment of ever-changing regulation of telecommunications, energy and water companies.
For more than 70 years, client services have included representation of utilities before the Tennessee Regulatory Authority (TRA), and its predecessor the Tennessee Public Service Commission, in matters regarding:
- Rates and rate-making
- Tariffs
- Services
- Certificates of convenience and necessity
- Special contracts
- Franchise approval
- Change of corporate control
- Agreement approvals
- Numbering code denials
- Market service areas
- Audits
- Financing
- Numerous contested case disputes
We have provided representation to our clients in proceedings in which the orders of the TRA are judicially reviewed by the state appellate courts or federal district courts under the Federal Communications Act. Our attorneys also have represented utility companies in numerous state court appeals, including many of the significant appellate cases interpreting provisions of the Tennessee Telecommunications Act of 1995 and other regulatory reform legislation. We also have handled appeals of reciprocal compensation, Unbundled Network Elements (UNE), Federal Communications Commission (FCC) pre-emption and other issues arising from TRA decisions that are appealed to federal district court.
Bass, Berry & Sims' representation of public utility companies extends to a wide variety of other legal matters including commercial loan transactions, government relations, corporate governance, issuance of debt and equity securities, mergers and acquisitions, general litigation, real estate matters, employee benefits issues, tax planning and the resolution of employer-employee disputes.
Experience
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We represented the Middle Tennessee Electric Membership Corporation (MTE), the largest electric co-op in the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) region...
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We have served as bond counsel or underwriters' counsel in approximately $2.8 billion of utility system bond financings since 2014....
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We are representing the Town of Smyrna, Tennessee against the Municipal Gas Authority of Georgia (MGAG) due to MGAG's imposition...
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We are assisting the Town of Smyrna, Tennessee with two industries' significant and continuing violations of their wastewater permit and...
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We are representing four municipalities/utility districts in connection with ongoing issues related to the water supply from the J. Percy...
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We represented leading financial institutions as underwriters' counsel for approximately $600 million of electric revenue bonds for electric utility systems,...
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We successfully advocated for a decision by the Tennessee Court of Appeals reversing the trial court and ruling that IBM's...
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$111 Million Water and Wastewater Revolving Fund Financing for the Kentucky Infrastructure AuthorityWe served as underwriter's counsel to Morgan Stanley in connection with Kentucky Infrastructure Authority's (KIA) financing of $111 million of...
Experience
-
We represented the Middle Tennessee Electric Membership Corporation (MTE), the largest electric co-op in the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) region...
-
We have served as bond counsel or underwriters' counsel in approximately $2.8 billion of utility system bond financings since 2014....
-
We are representing the Town of Smyrna, Tennessee against the Municipal Gas Authority of Georgia (MGAG) due to MGAG's imposition...
-
We are assisting the Town of Smyrna, Tennessee with two industries' significant and continuing violations of their wastewater permit and...
-
We are representing four municipalities/utility districts in connection with ongoing issues related to the water supply from the J. Percy...
-
We represented leading financial institutions as underwriters' counsel for approximately $600 million of electric revenue bonds for electric utility systems,...
-
We successfully advocated for a decision by the Tennessee Court of Appeals reversing the trial court and ruling that IBM's...
-
$111 Million Water and Wastewater Revolving Fund Financing for the Kentucky Infrastructure AuthorityWe served as underwriter's counsel to Morgan Stanley in connection with Kentucky Infrastructure Authority's (KIA) financing of $111 million of...
Notice
Visiting, or interacting with, this website does not constitute an attorney-client relationship. Although we are always interested in hearing from visitors to our website, we cannot accept representation on a new matter from either existing clients or new clients until we know that we do not have a conflict of interest that would prevent us from doing so. Therefore, please do not send us any information about any new matter that may involve a potential legal representation until we have confirmed that a conflict of interest does not exist and we have expressly agreed in writing to the representation. Until there is such an agreement, we will not be deemed to have given you any advice, any information you send may not be deemed privileged and confidential, and we may be able to represent adverse parties.
Notice
Visiting, or interacting with, this website does not constitute an attorney-client relationship. Although we are always interested in hearing from visitors to our website, we cannot accept representation on a new matter from either existing clients or new clients until we know that we do not have a conflict of interest that would prevent us from doing so. Therefore, please do not send us any information about any new matter that may involve a potential legal representation until we have confirmed that a conflict of interest does not exist and we have expressly agreed in writing to the representation. Until there is such an agreement, we will not be deemed to have given you any advice, any information you send may not be deemed privileged and confidential, and we may be able to represent adverse parties.
Notice
Visiting, or interacting with, this website does not constitute an attorney-client relationship. Although we are always interested in hearing from visitors to our website, we cannot accept representation on a new matter from either existing clients or new clients until we know that we do not have a conflict of interest that would prevent us from doing so. Therefore, please do not send us any information about any new matter that may involve a potential legal representation until we have confirmed that a conflict of interest does not exist and we have expressly agreed in writing to the representation. Until there is such an agreement, we will not be deemed to have given you any advice, any information you send may not be deemed privileged and confidential, and we may be able to represent adverse parties.
Notice
Visiting, or interacting with, this website does not constitute an attorney-client relationship. Although we are always interested in hearing from visitors to our website, we cannot accept representation on a new matter from either existing clients or new clients until we know that we do not have a conflict of interest that would prevent us from doing so. Therefore, please do not send us any information about any new matter that may involve a potential legal representation until we have confirmed that a conflict of interest does not exist and we have expressly agreed in writing to the representation. Until there is such an agreement, we will not be deemed to have given you any advice, any information you send may not be deemed privileged and confidential, and we may be able to represent adverse parties.
Notice
Visiting, or interacting with, this website does not constitute an attorney-client relationship. Although we are always interested in hearing from visitors to our website, we cannot accept representation on a new matter from either existing clients or new clients until we know that we do not have a conflict of interest that would prevent us from doing so. Therefore, please do not send us any information about any new matter that may involve a potential legal representation until we have confirmed that a conflict of interest does not exist and we have expressly agreed in writing to the representation. Until there is such an agreement, we will not be deemed to have given you any advice, any information you send may not be deemed privileged and confidential, and we may be able to represent adverse parties.
Notice
Visiting, or interacting with, this website does not constitute an attorney-client relationship. Although we are always interested in hearing from visitors to our website, we cannot accept representation on a new matter from either existing clients or new clients until we know that we do not have a conflict of interest that would prevent us from doing so. Therefore, please do not send us any information about any new matter that may involve a potential legal representation until we have confirmed that a conflict of interest does not exist and we have expressly agreed in writing to the representation. Until there is such an agreement, we will not be deemed to have given you any advice, any information you send may not be deemed privileged and confidential, and we may be able to represent adverse parties.
Notice
Visiting, or interacting with, this website does not constitute an attorney-client relationship. Although we are always interested in hearing from visitors to our website, we cannot accept representation on a new matter from either existing clients or new clients until we know that we do not have a conflict of interest that would prevent us from doing so. Therefore, please do not send us any information about any new matter that may involve a potential legal representation until we have confirmed that a conflict of interest does not exist and we have expressly agreed in writing to the representation. Until there is such an agreement, we will not be deemed to have given you any advice, any information you send may not be deemed privileged and confidential, and we may be able to represent adverse parties.
Notice
Visiting, or interacting with, this website does not constitute an attorney-client relationship. Although we are always interested in hearing from visitors to our website, we cannot accept representation on a new matter from either existing clients or new clients until we know that we do not have a conflict of interest that would prevent us from doing so. Therefore, please do not send us any information about any new matter that may involve a potential legal representation until we have confirmed that a conflict of interest does not exist and we have expressly agreed in writing to the representation. Until there is such an agreement, we will not be deemed to have given you any advice, any information you send may not be deemed privileged and confidential, and we may be able to represent adverse parties.
Notice
Visiting, or interacting with, this website does not constitute an attorney-client relationship. Although we are always interested in hearing from visitors to our website, we cannot accept representation on a new matter from either existing clients or new clients until we know that we do not have a conflict of interest that would prevent us from doing so. Therefore, please do not send us any information about any new matter that may involve a potential legal representation until we have confirmed that a conflict of interest does not exist and we have expressly agreed in writing to the representation. Until there is such an agreement, we will not be deemed to have given you any advice, any information you send may not be deemed privileged and confidential, and we may be able to represent adverse parties.
Notice
Visiting, or interacting with, this website does not constitute an attorney-client relationship. Although we are always interested in hearing from visitors to our website, we cannot accept representation on a new matter from either existing clients or new clients until we know that we do not have a conflict of interest that would prevent us from doing so. Therefore, please do not send us any information about any new matter that may involve a potential legal representation until we have confirmed that a conflict of interest does not exist and we have expressly agreed in writing to the representation. Until there is such an agreement, we will not be deemed to have given you any advice, any information you send may not be deemed privileged and confidential, and we may be able to represent adverse parties.
Professionals
Name | Phone | |
---|---|---|
Elaina S. Al-Nimri Member |
(615) 742-7766 | eal-nimri@bassberry.com |
John W. Dawson IV Member |
(615) 742-7796 | jdawson@bassberry.com |
Robert C. Guth Senior Litigation Attorney |
(615) 742-7819 | rguth@bassberry.com |
Stephen J. Jasper Member |
(615) 742-7772 | sjasper@bassberry.com |
Betsy F. Knotts Counsel |
(615) 742-7878 | Betsy.Knotts@bassberry.com |
Jeffrey A. Oldham Member |
(615) 742-7704 | joldham@bassberry.com |
Erica Vick Penley Member |
(615) 742-7901 | epenley@bassberry.com |
W. Brantley Phillips, Jr. Member |
(615) 742-7723 | bphillips@bassberry.com |
Virginia Maynard Yetter Senior Litigation Attorney |
(615) 742-7858 | vyetter@bassberry.com |
Jessalyn H. Zeigler Member |
(615) 742-6289 | jzeigler@bassberry.com |
Publications
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April 10, 2024 | Firm Publication
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June 20, 2023 | Firm Publication
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September 27, 2013
Past Events
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February 15, 2024 | Nashville, TennesseeThe Vanderbilt Law and Business Program
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October 23 - 25, 2023 | Nashville, TennesseeThe Paul J. Hartman State & Local Tax Forum
Media Mentions & Firm News
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July 30, 2021 | The Trial Network
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January 23, 2020 | Governor's Council for Judicial Appointments
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January 16, 2019 | Benchmark Litigation
Publications
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April 10, 2024 | Firm Publication
-
June 20, 2023 | Firm Publication
-
September 27, 2013
Past Events
-
February 15, 2024 | Nashville, TennesseeThe Vanderbilt Law and Business Program
-
October 23 - 25, 2023 | Nashville, TennesseeThe Paul J. Hartman State & Local Tax Forum
Media Mentions & Firm News
-
July 30, 2021 | The Trial Network
-
January 23, 2020 | Governor's Council for Judicial Appointments
-
January 16, 2019 | Benchmark Litigation
Contact
Notice
Visiting, or interacting with, this website does not constitute an attorney-client relationship. Although we are always interested in hearing from visitors to our website, we cannot accept representation on a new matter from either existing clients or new clients until we know that we do not have a conflict of interest that would prevent us from doing so. Therefore, please do not send us any information about any new matter that may involve a potential legal representation until we have confirmed that a conflict of interest does not exist and we have expressly agreed in writing to the representation. Until there is such an agreement, we will not be deemed to have given you any advice, any information you send may not be deemed privileged and confidential, and we may be able to represent adverse parties.