William P. Zarakas
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principal
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Boston
Mr. Zarakas is an expert on economic and regulatory matters in the telecom, media, and energy industries.
Mr. Zarakas holds a leadership role in Brattle’s Telecommunications, Internet, and Media practice. He has provided expert reports and testimonies in a range of regulatory proceedings concerning the economic analysis of mergers among telecom carriers and media companies; competition in telecom markets; forbearance from price regulation; infrastructure access, sharing and pricing arrangements; the economics and financial feasibility of deploying broadband networks; analysis and valuation of wireless spectrum bands and holdings; and the distribution of royalties and retransmission fees in the cable and satellite TV industries.
Mr. Zarakas also leads much of Brattle’s work related to evolving utility regulatory and business models, including the application of performance-based regulation (PBR) and regulatory reform and incentives designed to improve efficiencies and advance policy goals, such as decarbonization and customer engagement. He works extensively on benefit-cost analyses, particularly with respect to investments in grid modernization, reliability, resilience, and smartening the grid. He has authored a wide range of reports and articles on PBR, “utility of the future” visions and implementation, the utility platform and multi-sided markets, and competition in the retail electricity sector.
Additionally, Mr. Zarakas has led special investigations on behalf of corporate boards of directors, as well as audits of management practices and operational and financial performance on behalf of regulatory commissions. He has provided expert testimony and reports before the Federal Communications Commission, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Copyright Royalty Judges (Library of Congress), the US Congress, state regulatory agencies, arbitration panels, and foreign governments and courts of law.
New York University, MA in Economics
State University of New York, BA in Economics
Testimony
Declaration and Reply Declaration of William P. Zarakas and Jeremy A. Verlinda In the Matter of Tribune Media Company (Transferor) and Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. (Transferee) Consolidated Applications for Consent of Transfer Control Before the Federal Communications Commission MB Docket No. 12-179.
Declaration of William P. Zarakas Before the Federal Communications Commission In the Matter of Business Data Services in an Internet Protocol Environment, Investigation of Certain Price Cap Local Exchange Carrier Business Data Services Tariff Pricing Plans, Special Access for Price Cap Local Exchange Carriers, AT&T Corporation Petition for Rulemaking to Reform Regulation of Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier Rates for Interstate Special Access Services, WC Docket No. 16-143, WC Docket No. 15-247, WC Docket No. 05-25, RM-10593. Declaration of William P. Zarakas and Susan M. Gately (January 27, 2016); Supplemental Declaration of William P. Zarakas (March 24, 2016); Declaration of William P. Zarakas and Jeremy Verlinda (June 28, 2016, Attachment D to Comments of Sprint Corporation); Declaration of David E. M. Sappington and William P. Zarakas (June 28, 2016, Attachment E to Comments of Sprint Corporation); Further Supplemental Declaration of William P. Zarakas (August 9, 2016, Attachment A of Reply Comments of Sprint Corporation).
Telecom Association, Petitioner, v. Federal Communications Commission and the United States of
America, Respondents, Case No. 15-1063 (and consolidated cases). United States Court for the District of Columbia Circuit. Declaration of William P. Zarakas and Matthew Aharonian, evaluating allegations of irreparable harm from the FCC’s decision to regulate broadband services under common carrier designation. (May 22, 2015)
Declarations Before the Before the Federal Communications Commission In the Matter of Application of Comcast Corporation, General Electric Company and NBC Universal, Inc. for Comcast to Assign or Transfer Control of Licenses, Federal Communications Commission, MB Docket No. 10-56. Analysis of the FCC’s Vertical Foreclosure and Nash Bargaining Models Applied To The Proposed Comcast-Time Warner Cable Transaction (December 21, 2014) and Supplemental Declaration: Analysis of the FCC’s Vertical Foreclosure and Nash Bargaining Models Applied To The Proposed Comcast-Time Warner Cable Transaction (March 5, 2015).
