Christopher B. Fisher

Telecommunication, Land Use & Zoning, Environment & Sustainability, Litigation

Chris is a Partner at the firm who concentrates his practice in telecommunications, land use, zoning, environmental permitting and litigation. He is Chairman of the firm's Telecommunications Department and a past Chairman of the firm's Land Use department, two of the largest infrastructure practices in New York and Connecticut. Chris has also served as a member of the firm’s Management Committee since 2003.

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 companies, DAS providers, residential and commercial developers, retailers, private associations, grocery distributors and public utilities typically in the States of New York and Connecticut.

Notable cases include:

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).

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 with leadership roles in trade associations like PCIA and NYSWA and service on various committees.

Admissions/Courts

State of New York
State of 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. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit

Professional Associations

PCIA-The Wireless Infrastructure Association, Member
The DAS Forum, member
New York State Wireless Association, Vice President and Founding Board Member
ICSC-International Council of Shopping Centers, Member
Westchester County Association, Chair Infrastructure Working Group

Selected Publications/Presentations

Chris has published several articles and spoken before legal, wireless and municipal associations on topics including wireless facility siting, environmental due diligence, zoning and religious land uses. Selected publications and presentations include:

"Local Siting Trends", Speaker, PCIA 2011 Wireless Infrastructure Show
"Wireless Services, Infrastructure & Zoning: A Time for Local Regulatory Change in New York?", Co-author New York Zoning Law and Practice Report, 2011
"Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) – Meeting the Growing Demand for Broadband Mobile Services", Moderator, NYSWA 2011 Trade Show & Conference
"The Role of Green Building Design and Public Safety Communications in the Inbuilding Marketplace", Moderator, The DAS Forum, 2011
"Deployment Dam", Speaker, PCIA 2010 Wireless Infrastructure Show
"FCC Shot Clock Rules and Local Strategies for Siting Success", Moderator, NYSWA 2010 Trade Show & Conference
"Wireless 101", Speaker, NYS Association of Towns, 2009
"Municipal Tower Siting"; "Distributed Antenna Systems"; "Latest Trends in Zoning", Moderator, NYSWA 2009 Trade Show & Conference
"Emerging Trends in Zoning and Community Engagement", Speaker, PCIA 2008 Wireless Infrastructure Show
"Environmental Risk Management: How Dirty is Too Dirty?", Moderator, NYSWA 2008 Trade Show & Conference
"Fulfilling the Mandate of Section 706:Deploying Advanced Wireless Services under the 1996 Telecommunications Act", Moderator, PCIA 2007 Wireless Infrastructure Show
"Phase II Regulations - Municipal Stormwater Management Plans", Speaker, Seminar in Dutchess County, 2002
"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", Author, NYSBA Municipal Lawyer, 2001
"Local Zoning And The Wireless Revolution", Author, NYSBA Municipal Lawyer, 1998
"Zoning Regulation of Religious Land Uses", Speaker, Municipal Law Resource Center, 1998
"Local Cellular Telephone Regulation - Moratoria", Co-Author, New York Law Journal, 1995
"Environmental Concerns in the Sale or Purchase of a Small Business", Co-Author, NYSBA, 1994

Community Service

Town of Ridgefield Economic Development Commission, Member
Town of Ridgefield Route 7 Taskforce , Co-Chair
Past Pace University School of Law, Alumni Board & Member, Executive Officer and Treasurer

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

Extracurricular

Chris and his wife Geriann spend as much time as possible with their two children. He also plays ice hockey and can be found boating on Candlewood Lake in the summertime.

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