Donna A. Balaguer, CIPP/US

About Donna

Donna Balaguer is a Principal in the Washington, DC, office of Fish & Richardson.  Ms. Balaguer previously served as an executive and in-house counsel to both entrepreneurial and major corporations. She relies on that insider perspective to provide clients with practical and realistic advice. Ms. Balaguer advises clients across multiple industries, including hospitality, healthcare, publishing, communications, manufacturing and retail.

Ms. Balaguer is a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US) and a member of the International Association of Privacy Professionals.  She advises clients on the full range of privacy and data security laws and best practices, from the early stages of developing a privacy framework to handling a cyberbreach. She has the technology savvy needed to navigate complex and emerging cybersecurity issues.

Ms. Balaguer negotiates and drafts a variety of commercial transactions. Among other complex technology agreements, Ms. Balaguer has negotiated transactions related to wireless licenses worth over $2.5 billion since joining the firm.  Ms. Balaguer guides clients through the myriad of government agency requirements to maximize business opportunities and minimize risk.  She has extensive experience in advising clients on meeting Federal Communications Commission and Federal Trade Commission requirements. She has successfully resolved government enforcement actions and investigations for service providers, FCC licensees, E-rate participants and equipment manufacturers.

Ms. Balaguer previously served as a Vice President for MCI WorldCom, Inc., where she led the group responsible for developing regulatory strategies and managing and acquiring thousands of wireless assets. She served on the Board of Directors and as an Executive Committee Member of the Wireless Communications Association International.  She has also served in legal and executive roles with two entrepreneurial companies and assisted in the marketing and successful sales of those companies. ​

Selected Publications and Speaking Engagements

Speaker “Washington Update: EBS and the Sprint Merger,” NEBSA 2019 Annual Conference (February 2019).

Interviewed in “Why Cybersecurity Is Your Board’s Business” by Metropolitan Corporate Counsel (April 2017).

Authored “5 Steps to Better Prepare for a Cyberbreach​,” Corporate Counsel (June 2016)

Authored “Corporate Counsel Whitepaper: Survey Shows Companies Struggling to Prepare for Cyberbreaches,” Corporate Counsel and Fish & Richardson (January 2016)

Data Privacy: What Your Non-Profit Needs to Know, presentation to D.C. Bar Pro Bono Program (February 2015)

Privacy Concerns for Individuals when State Governments Release Date, Blog (February 2015)

New Privacy Legislation Takes Shape, Blog (January 2015)

FCC Enforcement Update – 2014 Year in Review, client alert (January 2015)

FCC Revises Equipment Authorization Program: What Manufacturers, Labs, TCBs and Accrediting Bodies Need to Know, client alert (January 2015)

2014 Privacy and Data Security Update, Fish & Richardson CLE (October 2014)​

Authored “Managing State Security Breach Notification Laws,” Pharmaceutical Compliance Monitor (June 2013)​

​FCC Permits Leasing of MSS/ATC Spectrum, Fish & Richardson Client Alert (April 2011).

Quoted in Forbes article, “Comcast-FCC Decision Sets up a Tech Lobbying Fight” (April 6, 2010).

Education in the Wireless Age, NEBSA Annual Meeting (March 1, 2011)

E-Rate – Legal, Ethical and Liability Issues, Industry Trade Group Seminar (October 1, 2010)

Wireless Broadband – The Solution for Anytime/Anywhere Learning, NEBSA Annual Meeting (February 24, 2009)

Focus on the Future, NEBSA Annual Meeting (February 20, 2008)

E-Rate – Avoiding the Pitfalls, Webinar presentation (December 2007)

FCC Enforcement on the Rise:  What Every RF Device Manufacturer and EMC Test House Should Know, Client Seminar presentation (October 2, 2007)

ITFS/EBS The Next Generation, NEBSA Annual Meeting (February 20, 2007)