Chris is a Partner at the firm and concentrates his practice on telecommunications, land use, zoning, energy permitting and litigation. He is Chairman of the firm’s Telecommunications Group and a past Chairman of the firm’s Land Use, Zoning & Development Group, two of the largest infrastructure practices in New York and Connecticut. Chris also served as a member of the firm’s Management Committee for the period 2003-2013 and as the firm’s Managing Partner for the period 2017-2022.
Chris has been lead counsel in several precedent setting cases involving nuanced areas of zoning and claims under the Federal Communications, Fair Housing and Civil Rights Acts. Chris represents wireless carriers, tower small cell and fiber companies, residential and commercial developers, retailers, community solar and public utilities typically in the states of New York and Connecticut.
Clients consult with Chris on varied aspects of infrastructure and real estate development and frequently seek his advice regarding the Telecommunications Act, New York’s State Environmental Quality Review Act, Connecticut’s Public Utility and Environmental Standards and numerous other federal, state and local laws regulating development. He routinely appears before state and municipal land use, zoning and environmental permitting agencies such as local planning boards, zoning commissions and the State of Connecticut Siting Council. Chris has extensive experience in the siting of wireless facilities and telecommunications infrastructure at the local, state and national level.
Chris serves in several leadership roles for national and state trade associations. He is a founding board member of the New York State Wireless Association (NYSWA) and served as its President from 2012-2018. He currently serves as NYSWA’s State and Local Government Affairs Advisor. He was appointed to WIA’s Innovation and Technology Council and chaired a working group focusing on municipal government relations and small cell policy. Chris also serves as Vice-Chair of the Westchester County Association Board and leads its Digital Connectivity Initiative including a National Science Foundation/US Ignite Grant to address the digital divide in Yonkers, New York. Chris is recognized by City & State as one of New York’s Power 50 in Telecommunications.
Education
- Pace University School of Law, J.D., Certificate in Environmental Law, cum laude; 1994
- State University of New York at Buffalo, B.A. in Geography; 1990
Admissions/Courts
- New York
- Connecticut
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York
- U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut
- U.S. District Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
Awards + Recognitions
- Westfair Communications C-Suite Award; 2021
- City and State Telecommunications Power 50 list; 2021
- Distinguished Service Award, Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University; 2019
- Leadership Award, Westchester County Association (WCA); 2018
- New York Metropolitan Area Super Lawyers® in Communications Law; 2013-2024
- The Best Lawyers in America®; 2019-2023
Professional Associations
- New York State Wireless Association, Founder; Past President, 2012-2018; State and Local Government Affairs Advisor, 2018-present
- The Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA), Member
- WIA Innovation and Technology Council
- Westchester County Association, Vice-Chair & Digital Connectivity Initiative Leader
Presentations + Publications
“Do Members of the Public Have a Right to Intervene in Telecommunications Act Cases Involving Municipal Defendants?”
NYSBA Municipal Lawyer | 2024 | Vol. 38 | No. 1
Co-Author
“Maintaining Momentum on Federal Permitting and Siting”
Connect (X) 2023
Speaker
May 10, 2023
“The Greening of the Infrastructure Business”
Connect (X) 2022
Speaker
May 25, 2022
5th Annual Real Estate Summit – ESG Initiatives
Westchester County Association
Speaker
October 5, 2021
“Cell Towers, Rental Agreements and Solar, Oh My: Regulating and Renting Municipally Owned Property”
New York Conference of Mayors (NYCOM) Fall Training School
Speaker
September 22, 2021
“Broadband – How to Fill the Void”
New York Conference of Mayors (NYCOM) Annual Convention
Speaker
July, 2021
Best Practices for Reopening Westchester, Part IV: An Inside Look into Our Digital Connectivity
Westchester County Association
Moderator
July 8, 2020
Wireless Forum
NYSWA
Speaker
June 21, 2019
“Something for Everyone at NYSWA’s Wireless Forum”
AGL Media Group
Contributor
May 24, 2019
“Inside the Industry: Growth in Digital Infrastructure”
WCA and HVEDC
Speaker
March 26, 2019
“Opportunities to Streamline and Attract Wireless Infrastructure Deployments”
NYSAC 2019 Legislative Conference
January 28, 2019
Speaker
“5G Small Cell Technology in Central New York: Moving Forward”
State Assemblywoman Pamela Hunter and NYSWA Hosted Event
June, 2018
Speaker
Wireless Forum
NYSWA
Presenter
June, 2017
“Smart Cities: Using Technology for Downtown Renewal”
Vision Long Island Annual Smart Growth Summit
December, 2017
Speaker
“Broadband Planning”
Wireless Broadband Alliance “Connected Cities” Conference
November, 2017
Speaker
“Enabling Wireless Networks Everywhere”
New York Wireless Industry Advocacy Day
April, 2017
Speaker
“Wireless Downtowns: Smart Growth for Municipalities”
Hudson Valley Tech Meetup
March, 2017
Speaker
“Zoning and Land Use Principles for CT Vineyards & Wineries”
CT Vineyard and Winery Association’s Annual Meeting on Zoning and Land Use, February, 2017, Speaker
“Smart Cities”
Vision Long Island, December 2016 Annual Smart Growth Conference
Speaker
“Small Cell Siting and Zoning”
CTIA Tower & Small Cell Summit, September 2016 Annual Conference
Speaker
“City Planners’ View of ‘Ideal Connected Cities’”
Wireless Connect, August 2016 at U. of Maryland
Speaker
“NYC Broadband Case Study”
Wireless Infrastructure Association, May 2016 Annual Conference
Moderator
“The Future of the Wireless Industry”
National Association of Tower Erectors, Nate Unite, February 2016
Speaker
PCIA Innovation and Technology Council White Paper on Best Practices for DAS, Small Cells, and Street Furniture Deployments
HetNet Forum, October 2015
Contributing author
Co-Chair
NYSWA Wireless Forum, 2015
“Planning and Permitting Mobile Broadband Communications Infrastructure: Is It Time To Amend Your Local Code?”
Touro Law Center’s Land Use and Sustainable Development Law Institute, May 2015
“Hot Topics in Land Use”
Pace Law School Land Use and Sustainable Development Law Conference, December 2014
Speaker
“The 3 R’s- Reliability, Resilience and Restoration”
PCIA 2013 Wireless Infrastructure Show
Hollywood, FL; October 2013
Moderator
Chair
NYSWA Trade Show & Conference
NYC, NY; June 2013
“Rethinking Westchester: A Blueprint for Smart Growth”
WCA Reinventing Westchester Conference, June 2013
Moderator/Organizer of Panel
“Federal Collocation by Right Legislation and City of Arlington’s pending U.S. Supreme Court case challenging the FCC shot clock ruling”
AGL Southwest Regional Conference
Dallas, TX; November 2012
Speaker
“NYSWA’s Model Ordinance for Wireless Infrastructure Siting – New Approaches to Conflict Avoidance, Consultants and Municipal Planning for Wireless Service”
NYSWA 5th Annual Trade Show & Conference
Niagara Falls, NY; June 2012
Speaker
“Wireless Trends for Office Campus, Educational & Medical Institutions”
WCA Blueprint Meeting, May 2012
Principal Speaker
“Local Siting Trends”
PCIA 2011 Wireless Infrastructure Show
Speaker
“Wireless Services, Infrastructure & Zoning: A Time for Local Regulatory Change in New York?”
New York Zoning Law and Practice Report, 2011
Co-author
“Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) – Meeting the Growing Demand for Broadband Mobile Services”
NYSWA 2011 Trade Show & Conference
Moderator
“The Role of Green Building Design and Public Safety Communications in the Inbuilding Marketplace”
The DAS Forum, 2011
“Deployment Dam”
PCIA 2010 Wireless Infrastructure Show
Speaker
“FCC Shot Clock Rules and Local Strategies for Siting Success”
NYSWA 2010 Trade Show & Conference
Moderator
“Wireless 101”
NYS Association of Towns, 2009
Speaker
“Municipal Tower Siting”; “Distributed Antenna Systems”; “Latest Trends in Zoning”
NYSWA 2009 Trade Show & Conference
Moderator
“Emerging Trends in Zoning and Community Engagement”
PCIA 2008 Wireless Infrastructure Show
Speaker
“Environmental Risk Management: How Dirty is Too Dirty?”
NYSWA 2008 Trade Show & Conference
Moderator
“Fulfilling the Mandate of Section 706: Deploying Advanced Wireless Services under the 1996 Telecommunications Act”
PCIA 2007 Wireless Infrastructure Show
Moderator
“Phase II Regulations – Municipal Stormwater Management Plans”
Seminar in Dutchess County, 2002
Speaker
“Local Zoning And The Wireless Revolution: How Much Municipal Discretion Is There In A Wireless World? An Update On The Telecommunications Act Of 1996 And Wireless Facility Siting In New York”
NYSBA Municipal Lawyer, 2001
Author
“Local Zoning And The Wireless Revolution”
NYSBA Municipal Lawyer, 1998
Author
“Zoning Regulation of Religious Land Uses”
Municipal Law Resource Center, 1998
Speaker
“Local Cellular Telephone Regulation Moratoria“
New York Law Journal, 1995
Co-Author
“Environmental Concerns in the Sale or Purchase of a Small Business”
NYSBA, 1994
Co-Author
From the Blog
Matters
- Planned Development Alliance of Northwest Connecticut v. Connecticut Siting Council, No. HHB-CV21-6063734-S (Sup. Ct. N.B. Oct. 19, 2021)
- ExteNet Systems, Inc. v. Village of Plandome, No. 19-cv-7054 (GRB)(RLM), 2021 WL 4449453 (EDNY Sept. 29, 2021)
- ExteNet Systems, Inc. v. Town of North Hempstead, No. 20-cv-354 (ERK)(SJB), Doc. No. 24 (EDNY June 26, 2020)
- ExteNet Systems, Inc. v. Village of Pelham, No. 18-CV-5281 (S.D.N.Y. 2019)
- Orange County-Poughkeepsie Limited Partnership d/b/a Verizon Wireless and Homeland Towers, LLC v. Town of East Fishkill, et al., No. 5–521–cv. (2d Cir. Nov. 10, 2015)
- New York SMSA Limited Partnership v. Town of Clarkstown, 612 F.3d 97 (2d Cir. 2010)
- Metro PCS New York, LLC v. City of Mount Vernon, 439 F. Supp. 2d 409 (S.D.N.Y. 2010)
- Lucas v. Planning Bd. of Town of LaGrange, 7 F. Supp. 2d 310 (S.D.N.Y. 1998)
- Smart SMR of New York, Inc. v. Zoning Comm’n of the Town of Stratford, 995 F. Supp. 52 (D. Conn. 1998)
Case Studies
For over 15 years, Cuddy & Feder has worked with Pace University to implement its master plan that meets the needs of the University and fosters a positive relationship with the surrounding community.
Cuddy & Feder helped MetroPCS and ExteNet Systems launch the largest DAS network in the U.S. at the time.
Community Service
- Pace University School of Law, Board of Visitors
- Y-Zone Digital Equity in Yonkers, Founder and Grant Writer
- Past Town of Ridgefield Economic Development Commission Member
Extracurricular
- Chris and his wife Geriann reside in Scarsdale and enjoy traveling with their daughters. He can be found wakesurfing on Candlewood Lake in the summertime.
Related Updates
Publications • Oct 02, 2024
Digital Infrastructure: Data Centers + Edge Computing – Empowering Connectivity and Growth
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Client Successes • Oct 25, 2024
Susquehanna Spirit Secures Cannabis Processing License
Cuddy & Feder client, Susquehanna Spirit, has received a cannabis processing license from the New York Office of Cannabis Management (OCM). With this license, Susquehanna Spirit is now authorized to process cannabis products for the New York market.
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News + Events • Nov 19, 2024
Cuddy & Feder Partner Shares Insights on Special Zoning Issues at National Business Institute Program
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Blogs • Oct 08, 2024
Cuddy & Feder LLP: Deeply Committed to the Continuing Growth of Beacon, NY
Cuddy & Feder LLP is proud to be at the forefront of Beacon's ongoing development and revitalization efforts. With a deep commitment to the City's growth, our attorneys have an established record of providing strategic legal guidance on land use, zoning, and development to projects that foster successful and sustainable development and enhance the City’s vibrant community character.
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Publications • Aug 26, 2024