COUNSEL
Omar E. Martínez-Vázquez, Esq. is Counsel at POLITANK*, a government affairs law firm specializing in developing strategies to best represent private interests before governmental forums. He concentrates his practice in three areas: telecommunications and cable television; government and regulatory affairs; employment and labor law; and contract law. He advises our clients on state and federal regulation, commercial transactions and disputes related to telecommunication and billing disputes. He also assists our clients with legal services in the areas of collective bargaining, commercial contract negotiations, and litigation, interconnection agreements, labor, and employment litigation, among others.
Mr. Martínez-Vázquez is a former Special Assistant and General Counsel to the President of the P.R. Telecommunications Regulatory Board. In 2003, Governor Sila Maria Calderon considered him for a nomination as a Board Member of the P.R. Telecommunications Regulatory Board; he was also considered for the position of General Counsel of the University of Puerto Rico. Nevertheless, Mr. Martínez-Vázquez decided to accept a position in the private sector as Assistant Vice President, Legal and Regulatory Affairs of Centennial Puerto Rico License Corp. (now part of AT&T), the then-second largest telecommunication carrier in Puerto Rico. In that capacity, he provided support to, among others, the telecommunications operations, marketing, carrier relations groups and the cable television operations, managing and coordinating all interconnection contracting and issues with all telecommunication carriers and contractors. Furthermore, he dealt with all issues pertaining to human resources, employment-related visa, and business immigration matters; lobbying and legislative affairs, as well as dealing with the FBI, DEA, and local law enforcement agencies on surveillance and wiretapping matters.
During the past 10 years, Mr. Martínez-Vázquez has worked together with the Legislature, the Governor and different administrative agencies in the development of several laws and in the advancement of multiple policies and regulations. He has also been instrumental on behalf of clients in the adoption of legislative initiatives and bills and has provided support for clients in issues regarding legislative and regulatory affairs. He represents clients such as General Motors in the evaluation and monitoring of proposed and pending legislation, attending public hearings, preparing position papers on proposed or pending bills and resolutions, and drafting legislation and amendments to pending legislation.
Mr. Martínez-Vázquez represents the interests of cable television, competing for delivery technology and telecommunications companies before the Federal Communications Commission, the P.R. Telecommunications Regulatory Board, and the courts. Since the enactment of the Federal Telecommunications Act of 1996 and the P.R. Telecommunications Act of 1996, he has represented both the P.R. Telecommunications Regulatory Board and telecommunication companies in the implementation of new local competition directives and regulations. He litigated successfully several landmark cases in the P.R. Court of Appeals and in the P.R. Supreme Court that have defined the evolution of telecommunications industry in Puerto Rico.
Mr. Martinez-Vazquez has also represented clients in antitrust and unfair trade practices before the Federal Trade Commission and the P.R. Justice Department.