William B. Baker

William Baker is a partner with more than 35 years in postal, privacy, and consumer marketing law. 

He represents the leading trade associations for First Class business mailers and and for newspaper and magazine publishers, as well as individual businesses, in rate cases, litigation, rulemaking, counseling, and legislative matters involving the rates and classifications of the United States Postal Service (USPS) before the Postal Regulatory Commission, the courts, and the Congress. He also advises clients on mailing issues, negotiated service agreements, the Private Express Statutes, and logistics/delivery matters. 

Mr. Baker also handles a wide range of marketing, privacy, compliance, and data security issues arising under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), the CAN-SPAM Act, the Do Not Call Act, the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), state data privacy laws, and international privacy and data transfer laws. He has represented website publishers, e-commerce sites, and social media in Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) proceedings regarding consumer privacy and data security, location-based services, behavioral advertising, and the Internet of Things.

Representative Experience

• Participated in every major proceeding before the Postal Regulatory Commission since 1987, including rate cases, rulemakings, advisory proceedings, and annual compliance reviews.
• Successfully opposed an effort by the Postal Service to change the methodology used to set mail preparation discounts that would have significantly reduced mailer incentives to presort efficiently.
• Successfully opposed an effort by the Postal Service to favor its own postage payment system over private payment systems for a new service.
• Advises publishers and others regarding the scope, restrictions, and exceptions to the Private Express Statutes.
• Extensive experience in counseling marketing and information professionals regarding compliance with the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), the Telemarketing Sales Rule, the CAN-SPAM Act, the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, and other privacy laws when providing information and advertising via telephone, mobile apps (including location-based services), email, text messaging, websites, social media or direct mail.
• Assists clients in developing and revising privacy policies and website terms of use and on data security matters.
• Successfully advocated resolution in Toysmart case establishing legal framework for sale of customer lists in bankruptcy proceedings.
• Served as outside general counsel to leading online industry self-regulatory privacy organization.
• Secured exemption of bona fide newsletters from FTC regulations implementing CAN-SPAM for publishers.
• Advises clients regarding international privacy laws, including European and Canadian data protection laws, regarding the collection, use, and transfer of personal data.