Bio
Mr. Kreucher concentrates his practice in telecommunications, energy, corporate law and litigation.
A decade of Mr. Kreucher's sixteen-year legal career has been spent inside cable companies. Among other achievements, Mr. Kreucher helped his cable company employers manage the industry's massive consolidation from the mid-1990s through the Comcast acquisition of AT&T Broadband in 2002. In his last cable operator role, Mr. Kreucher held the position of Division Vice President, Regulatory and Government Affairs for Comcast, where he supervised all regulatory, legislative and government affairs activities for a Comcast division covering eleven states, with over two billion dollars in annual revenue and more than 1,100 franchises. While inside cable companies, Mr. Kreucher and his teams secured over five hundred video franchise renewals and more than 1,000 franchise transfers; he also served on his cable-employers' executive management teams, where he led efforts to develop competitive strategies and helped to launch new services like high speed Internet access and telephony.
In 2005, Mr. Kreucher formed his own firm, where he began to leverage his unique insider's knowledge of regulated utilities on behalf of local governments, multiple dwelling unit property owners, subdivision developers and others needing to solve problems with cable operators or to create communications infrastructure. As a result of his unique perspective, Forbes, Broadband Reports.com, Multichannel News and other national publications regularly seek Mr. Kreucher's insight for their articles. In 2006, Mr. Kreucher was selected by the International City/County Management Association to author its national whitepaper on federal communications legislation that was then pending. The paper, titled: Forced Franchising: Why the Telephone Industry's Calls for Shall Issue' Franchising Shouldn't be Answered was quickly recognized as the leading source for local government's advocacy on the matter. In 2006, Mr. Kreucher also represented the City of El Centro, California before the U. S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York, where he successfully defended local governments' rights in cable franchise transfers despite the operator's federal bankruptcy protections. Mr. Kreucher also applies his understanding of regulated utilities to the energy industry, where he focuses on alternative and renewable energy issues.
Mr. Kreucher received a Bachelor of General Studies, with concentrations in Communications, Economics and Business from the University of Michigan in 1985 and a Juris Doctorate, summa cum laude, from the Thomas M. Cooley Law School in 1991. He is admitted to practice before all state courts in Michigan and before the United States District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan. Mr. Kreucher is also admitted to practice before the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and is a member of the State Bar of Michigan. He has represented clients nationwide and seeks admission to other courts when necessary.
Mr. Kreucher began his legal career with Howard & Howard, and rejoined the firm in 2007.
- Areas of Practice:
- Telecommunications
- Energy
- Corporate & Transactions
- Litigation
- Bar Admissions:
- Michigan, 1991
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of Michigan, 1992
- U.S. Court of Appeals 6th Circuit, 1992
- U.S. District Court Western District of Michigan, 2006
- Education:
- Thomas M. Cooley Law School, Lansing, MI ,
1991
J.D.
Honors: Summa Cum Laude
Honors: Honors Scholar
Honors: American Jurisprudence awards in legal research, writing and oral advocacy
Honors: James Tuck Scholarship for outstanding achievement in advocacy
Honors: John D. Voelker Award for outstanding law review associate - University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan,
1985
B.G.S.
Honors: Branstrom Freshmen Prize (awarded to top 5% of entering class)
Major: concentrations in Communications, Economics and Business
- Published Works:
- Forced Franchising: New Responsive Resources for Local Governments, NATOA Journal, Spring, 2007
- Forced Franchising: Why the Telcos' Calls for 'Shall Issue' Video Franchising Shouldn't be Answered, National Whitepaper authored on behalf of the International City/County Management Association, November, 2006
- Bankrupt and Selling Franchises: Lessons Learned from the Adelphia Franchise Transfers, Municipal Lawyer - International Municipal Lawyers Association, January/February, 2006
- Cable Franchise Transfer Requests: A Practical Guide to Community Responses, International Municipal Lawyers Association (website distribution), Pennsylvania Borough News, June 2005, August 2005
- bloggingbroadband.com, Publisher
- Recent Developments in Commercial Tort Law, ABA Tort & Insurance Law Journal, Winter, 1995
- The Tort of Bad Faith in First Party Insurance Contracts: Has Michigan Joined the Trend?, 7 Cooley Law Review, 245, 1990
- Classes/Seminars Taught:
- Renewable Energy: Opportunities and Challenges for Local Governments and School Districts., Great Lakes Energy Fair, 2007
- Implications of 2006 Public Act 480 on Michigan Townships, Michigan Townships Association - Presenter, 2007
- Surprises from the ICMA Survey Results, National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors Legal and Policy Seminar - speaker and panelist, 2007
- Implications of 2006 Public Act 480 on Michigan Municipalities, Michigan Municipal League - co-presenter, 2007
- Competitive Franchising of Telcos: Opportunities and Challenges, Annual Conference of the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors - presenter and panelist, 2006
- National Cable Franchising: Developments and the Potential Effect on Local Government, Government Affairs and Policy Committee of the International City/County Management Association, 2005
- The Adelphia Sale: Challenges and Processes for Local Governments, In association with the International City/County Management Association - interactive webinar, 2005
- Forced Access Developments and Strategies, AT&T Broadband and MediaOne - presenter, 1999
- Recent Developments in the Law of Franchise Renewals, Michigan Cable Telecommunications Association Annual Meeting, 1998
- Cable Operator Obligations Related to Political Advertising, speaker and panelist, 1994
- New Regulations in Cable Rate Setting, speaker and panelist, 1993 - 1994
- Professional Associations and Memberships:
- State Bar of Michigan, 1991 - Present
- Member
- National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors
- Member
- International City/County Management Association
- Member
- International Municipal Lawyers Association
- Member
- Michigan Townships Association
- Allied Service Provider
- Birth Information:
- 1962, Detroit, Michigan