History of Summit Ridge Group, LLC
Summit Ridge Group Tentatively Selected As 3.45 GHz Clearinghouse
Summit Ridge Group Expands to New Headquarters
Summit Ridge Group moved its Manhattan headquarters to a new location at 49 West 38th Street where it leases the entire 12th floor. The move was needed to support increased staffing needs due to growing client activity.
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Summit Ridge Group Bolsters Expertise in Advising Satellite, Telecom, Media, and Broadcast Industries
Summit Ridge Group, LLC, a leading provider of valuation and related financial advisory services in the communications sector, today announced three key appointments to its team of advisory consultants. Robin Flynn is joining as Advisor and Media Sector Consultant, Rebecca Hanson as Advisor and Regulatory Consultant, and Whitney Q. Lohmeyer, Ph.D. as Advisor and Engineering Consultant. See press release: https://summitridgegroup.com/summit-ridge-group-bolsters-expertise-in-advising-satellite-telecom-media-and-broadcast-industries-with-appointment-of-industry-experts/
E. Barlow Keener Appointed Co-Chair of FCBA Wireless Telecommunications Committee
Summit Ridge Group, LLC announced today that Managing Director E. Barlow Keener, JD, CIPP, has been appointed Co-chair of the Federal Communications Bar Association’s (“FCBA”) Wireless Telecommunications Committee for the 2020-2021 term. Additionally, Summit Ridge President J. Armand Musey, CFA, has been reappointed as a co-chair of the FCBA’s New York Chapter.
Mr. Keener and Mr. Musey, co-authors of The Spectrum Handbook 2018, have deep communications sector experience including extensive valuation experience in the telecom, media, and satellite industries. They are frequently called upon to serve as expert witnesses in business litigation matters involving those industries. Summit Ridge Group has worked on many high-profile projects, including the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division’s review of the T-Mobile/Sprint merger. Barlow is also an Adjunct Lecturer at Boston University’s Questrom School of Business, where he teaches “Online Privacy and Internet Law.”
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Summit Ridge Group Plays Role in Supporting U.S. Dept. of Justice in T-Mobile/Sprint Merger Review
Summit Ridge Group, LLC today announced that it provided mobile wireless industry and financial analyses for the US Department of Justice (DOJ) regarding the $26 billion merger between T-Mobile and Sprint.
New York, NY April 21, 2020 — Summit Ridge Group, LLC, a leading provider of valuation and financial advisory services in the media, telecommunications and satellite sectors, today announced that the Company provided mobile wireless industry analyses for the US Department of Justice (DOJ) regarding the proposed $26 billion merger of T-Mobile and Sprint.
The DOJ investigated the merger over concerns that it would lessen competition and result in consumers having fewer competitive options and paying higher rates. On July 26, 2019, the DOJ announced a settlement agreement that required T-Mobile and Sprint to divest Sprint’s prepaid business, including Boost Mobile, Virgin Mobile, and Sprint Prepaid, to Dish Network Corp. The settlement also provided for the divestiture of certain spectrum assets to Dish. Additionally, T-Mobile and Sprint must make available to Dish at least 20,000 cell sites and hundreds of retail locations. T-Mobile must also provide Dish with robust access to the T-Mobile network for a period of seven years while Dish builds out its own 5G network. T-Mobile and Sprint announced that their merger closed on April 1, 2020.
The Summit Ridge team, working on behalf of the DOJ analyzed a variety of financial, spectrum, network, mobile wireless industry, and company-specific issues related to the merger.
Summit Ridge’s President and CEO, Armand Musey, said, “Summit Ridge is pleased to have provided to the DOJ our knowledge of the mobile industry and wireless spectrum, as well as our financial expertise, for the DOJ’s investigation of the T-Mobile and Sprint merger.”
Mr. Musey, Managing Director Barlow Keener, and Director John Tardio were involved in the matter supporting the DOJ investigation.
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Summit Ridge Group Reaches 7 Full-Time Professionals With the Addition of Randy Reynolds and Samantha Lynch
By June 2019, Summit Ridge Group had grown to seven full-time professionals. In April, we welcomed former long-time telecom analyst at Lord Abbott, Randy Reynolds to the firm. Shortly thereafter, Samantha Lynch joined after graduating from Marist College in June. Samantha previously worked Summit Ridge Group as a summer intern in 2018, assisting with developing The Spectrum Handbook 2018.
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Veteran Media and Telecom Appraisal Expert, Bill Redpath, ASA, CFA, CPA, ABV joins Summit Ridge Group
Summit Ridge Group, LLC announced today that William “Bill” Redpath has joined the firm today as a Managing Director. Bill will augment Summit Ridge’s media and telecom valuation and financial consulting practice. Bringing more than 30 years of industry valuation experience, Bill will enhance Summit Ridge Group’s growing leadership position in financial and valuation consulting matters including transactional support & opinions, litigation support & restructuring, and valuation advisory services in the telecom, media, and satellite sectors. Prior to joining Summit Ridge Group, Bill was Vice President at BIA Advisory Services, a valuation and advisory services company.
Bill has extensive valuation experience as both an expert witness for media and telecom business litigation and as a valuation consultant. He is an Accredited Senior Appraiser (ASA) in Business Valuation, Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), and Certified Public Accountant (CPA). He also earned the Accredited in Business Valuation (ABV) designation from the American Institute of CPAs. Bill received his MBA from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business and BA in economics and political science from Indiana University.
“The Spectrum Handbook 2018” Published
In October 2018, Summit Ridge Group released the long-awaited update to the Spectrum Handbook 2013, The Spectrum Handbook 2018 (393 pages, 446 footnotes). It has received accolades from senior industry authorities, including two former FCC Chairman. It is widely considered the authoritative guide to wireless spectrum. On a light note, it has also been seen roaming the globe as shown in our “Where is the Spectrum Handbook.“
John A. Tardio, ASA Elected to Board of NYC Chapter of the American Society of Appraisers
John Tardio is elected to the office of board treasurer of the NYC Chapter of the American Society of Appraisers. Armand Musey remains on the board, having been elected to serve as vice president of marketing.
Grows to Five Full-Time Professionals with Addition of Barlow Keener and Daniel-John Perez
By May 2018, Summit Ridge had grown to five full-time professionals. In April 2018, an experienced telecon attorney and consultant, E. Barlow Keener joined Summit Ridge Group. In addition to his consulting roles, Barlow serves as the firm’s general counsel and chief privacy officer. Daniel-John Perez, a recent graduate of SUNY-Buffalo, joined the firm in May 2018.
Second Professional, Fan Jia, joins Summit Ridge Group
In October 2017, Summit Ridge Group added its second outside employee, Fan Jia to oversee the television broadcaster reimbursement process. Fan holds a master’s degree in accounting.
First Outside Professional, John Tardio, Joins Summit Ridge Group
In July 2017, Summit Ridge Group hired its first employee, John A. Tardio, ASA. Mr. Tardio is a valuation professional with over 20 years of experience
Summit Ridge Group Begins Table Sponsorship at the FCBA Annual Chairman’s Dinner
The FCBA Chairman’s Dinner is a major annual telecom event and is often referred to as the “Telecom Prom.” In 2016 we began our tradition of table sponsorship with one table. The tradition has grown over time. By 2019, we sponsored five tables at the event, more than AT&T and Verizon (four each).
Armand Musey Appointed to Board of NYC Chapter of American Society of Appraisers
Armand Musey is appointed board treasurer of the NYC Chapter of the American Society of Appraisers (ASA). The ASA is the leading professional organization for the valuation community.
Armand Musey Appointed as Co-Chair of NY Chapter of the FCBA
Mr. Musey was first appointed to be a co-chair of the NY Chapter of the Federal Communications Bar Association (FCBA). He remains a co-chair through the 2019-2020 term.
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Hastings Comm. & Ent. Law Journal Publishes “Right-Sizing Spectrum Auction Licenses: The Case for Smaller Geographic License Areas in the TV Broadcast Incentive Auction”
The Hastings Communications and Entertainment Law Journal (COMM/ENT) Vol. 37, 2014-15, publishes “Right-Sizing Auction Licenses: The Case for Smaller Geographic License Areas in the TV Broadcast Incentive Auction. The article was co-authored by Summit Ridge Group President J. Armand Musey and MIT’s Bill Lehr.
This paper explains why sufficiently small geographic areas, such as Cellular Market Areas (“CMAs”), are a more appropriates license territory framework to use to ensure that licenses are right-sized in the TV Broadcast Forward Auction. Industry participants and the FCC have successfully used smaller geographic license sizes to auction spectrum in the past, and doing so in the Forward Auction offers important advantages. Using smaller territories is better than using the larger Economic Areas (“EAs”) or even intermediate-size Partial Economic Areas (“PEAs”) because smaller areas efficiently match the needs of bidders to the spectrum they seek. Their use ensures that the planned auction will reallocate spectrum resources efficiently while promoting competition, economic growth, and universal broadband service.
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CommLaw Conspectus Publishes “Overestimating Wireless Demand: Policy and Investment Implications of Upward Bias in Mobile Data Forecasts”
CommLaw Conspectus- Journal of Communications Law and Policy, Vol. 23, No. 2, 2015, published a paper “Overestimating Wireless Demand: Policy and Investment Implications of Upward Bias in Mobile Data Forecasts.” The paper was co-authored by Summit Ridge Group President J. Armand Musey and Aalok Mehta, a doctoral candidate at the University of Southern California.
The paper examines the provenance, reliability, and uses of mobile demand forecasts and finds that several highly visible spectrum demand estimates over the past several years have exceeded actual traffic, which may have biased spectrum allocation decisions and policies in socially suboptimal ways. These reports include Cisco Visual Networking Index (VNI) estimates, which are commonly cited in government and industry reports, including the National Broadband Plan, as well as estimates endorsed in ITU’s WRC-07. The paper explores potential technological, economic, and sociological factors that may drive these biases, as well as possible solutions and policy remedies. This paper is not meant to imply any deliberate misrepresentation from any party, although this is certainly possible when billions of dollars are at stake, as with spectrum policy. Rather, the paper investigates various potential sources of bias and methods to mitigate such risks, in the hopes that it might inform businesses, regulators, and the general public about how to better allocate and manage finite spectrum resources.
Spun Out From Goldin Associates
Realizing the need for specialized telecom support, Armand Musey spun Summit Ridge Group out of Goldin Associates and embarked on building the firm as a stand-alone communications sector-focused valuation and financial advisory firm.
Sold to Goldin Associates, LLC
Needing additional support resources to fill expanding client roster, Summit Ridge Group merged with Goldin Associates LLC, a leading financial advisory firm
“Spectrum Handbook 2013” Published
In August 2013, Summit Ridge Group released the highly praised publication, “The Spectrum Handbook 2013″ (173 pages, 109 footnotes). It filled a significant void in telecom publications by providing the first comprehensive primer on the topic
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Columbia Sci & Tech Law Rev. Publishes “Broadcasting Rights: Ownership Rights and the Spectrum Rationalization Challenge”
The Columbia Science and Technology Law Review published, Mr. Musey’s article “Broadcasting Rights: Ownership Rights and the Spectrum Rationalization Challenge” in its Spring 2012 edition (Vol. 13).
The article examines the showdown between television broadcasters and the government in light of the FCC’s plan to reallocate the currently licensed broadcast spectrum to significantly higher value mobile broadband use. The government seeks to do so in an economically, socially and legally efficient manner and has indicated that it seeks a reallocation via a voluntary reverse auction process. Nonetheless, any spectrum reallocation proceeding raises the question of whether, and to what extent, television broadcasters ultimately possess rights to licensed spectrum, and what type of compensation, if any, they would be owed if the FCC takes their spectrum licenses involuntarily.
This Article finds that broadcasters have a very weak property rights claim over their spectrum licenses. However, broadcasters may be entitled to due process before their licenses can be taken involuntarily; they are almost certainly entitled to seek judicial review of any adverse FCC decisions. Such a review would extend the already lengthy FCC rulemaking and adjudication process, and further delay
spectrum reassignment. For practical political reasons, including maximizing revenue from future spectrum auctions, the most expedient way to reallocate spectrum is to incentivize the broadcasters to voluntarily participate in a reallocation plan by providing compensation beyond the legally required minimum.
Full-Time Gig
After graduating from Northwestern’s Pritzker School of Law, passing the NY bar exam, and finalizing two law review papers, Mr. Musey begins devotes his full-time professional efforts to Summit Ridge Group
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Hastings Comm and Ent. Law Journal Publishes, “How the Traditional Property Rights Model Informs the Television Broadcasting Spectrum Rationalization Challenge”
The Hastings Communications and Entertainment Law Journal (COMM/ENT) publishes Armand Musey’s article, “How the Traditional Property Rights Model Informs the Television Broadcasting Spectrum Rationalization Challenge” in its Spring 2012 edition – 34 Hastings Comm. & Ent. L.J. 145 (2012).
Mr. Musey’s paper finds that eminent domain may be a reallocation approach that provides a reasonable framework for negotiating a buyout price for television broadcasters. At the same time, the threat of uncompensated rezoning of broadcasters’ spectrum to deprive it of broadcasting use gives the government a “stick” to encourage the broadcasters to agree to reasonable terms to vacate their spectrum. Although the government may not explicitly threaten eminent domain or re-zoning, the availability of these options should the auction process fail are likely to inform the negotiations and help provide an equitable outcome for the broadcasters and the U.S. Government.
Law School
Mr. Musey returns from his mountaineering sabbatical in late 2008, during the “Great Recession.” He decides to attend law school where he could learn more about telecom regulation, contract law, civil procedure, other matters that he has found relevant to the telecom sector and litigation support. He spent a summer as an extern for U.S. Bankruptcy Judge, Hon. Robert E. Gerber (SDNY – retired). During law school, he continued with Summit Ridge Group on a part-time basis
Armand Musey Testifies Before Library of Congress’s Copyright Arbitration Royalty Board
Summit Ridge Group president, J. Armand Musey testified before the Library of Congress’s Copyright Arbitration Royalty Board. His testimony concerns the financial impact of various proposed royalty rates on Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio (now merged to Sirius XM Satellite Radio).