About

The Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) are the regulator for Irish internet, television, radio and all other sectors in the telecommunications field. General counsel Caroline Dee-Brown leads 10 staff in a cross-functional legal team, combining legal and commercial nous with ‘an excellent collegiate spirit’. In addition to its excellent legal support, the multi-disciplinary nature of the team’s work means it has developed an intricate knowledge of complex economics, finance, and network engineering. Occupying an influential position with regards to the policy and legal developments in telecoms regulation, notable results for the ComReg team in recent times have had the consumer at their core, including the novel use of an effective sanctions regime to improve service network quality. According to Dee-Brown, one of the main focuses of the team is to deliver ‘proactive and dynamic regulatory responses’ and its results are a testament to the excellent work of the team considering a ‘rapidly increasing’ regulatory landscape, increasing litigation and less resources due to austerity measures. Indeed, the strength and versatility of her team leads Dee-Brown to describe the breadth, depth and quality of expertise of her legal function as being ‘unrivalled, including by the major Irish law firms’. The high volumes of litigation across Irish and European courts has had a direct impact on the end result of the organisations objectives, making day-to-day communication with the senior management of ComReg essential. Dee-Brown believes that the essence of her team’s motivation is to promote ‘strong, collaborative relationships and dialogue with colleagues across the various divisions within ComReg, as well as other national and international regulators’. Completely dedicated to achieving ComReg’s mission of providing an increase in consumer focus within the industry and delivering results to business colleagues and consumers alike, the legal team’s efforts have resulted in greater transparency and protection for interested parties across the industry.