Randall Boe
Randall Boe | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1962 Ohio, United States |
| Occupation(s) | Lawyer, Executive, Sports Commissioner |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Known for | General Counsel for AOL; commissioner of the Arena Football League |
Randall Boe (born 1962) served as the former General Counsel for AOL and played a significant role in landmark cases related to internet law. In March 2018, he was named commissioner of the Arena Football League.
Early life
Originally from Ohio, Boe grew up in Iowa City, Iowa. He earned dual degrees in political science and economics from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1983, followed by a Juris Doctor from University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1987. His legal profession commenced at the Washington, D.C.-based firm Arent, Fox, Kintner, Plotkin & Kahn.
Legal career
In 1995, Boe acted as counsel for Joe Shea, publisher of the American Reporter, contesting the restrictions imposed by the Communications Decency Act (CDA) on "indecent" material online. Serving as lead attorney in Shea v. Reno, he secured a federal court ruling that declared the CDA unconstitutionally vague and overly broad—a verdict subsequently upheld by the Supreme Court.
Following this, Boe joined AOL’s legal department where he spearheaded its defense in Zeran v. America Online, Inc., notable as the inaugural case applying Section 230 immunity under the CDA. He managed defamation litigation involving AOL and was active in cases concerning unsolicited email. Under his direction, AOL initiated civil actions against spammers and influenced anti-spam legislation such as Virginia’s statute and the Federal CAN-SPAM Act of 2003. Boe also provided testimony before Congress on these matters.
He played a key role in settling the "AOL Access Crisis" through agreements with State Attorneys General concerning marketing practices. After AOL's 2001 merger with Time Warner, Boe was appointed General Counsel. That same year, he represented Netscape in filing an antitrust suit against Microsoft, which concluded with a $750 million settlement.
In 2006, Boe contributed to a task force investigating the AOL search data scandal, offering recommendations to enhance privacy protections. Later that year, he shifted roles to become Executive Vice President for Consumer Advocacy at AOL, stepping down from his position as General Counsel.
Arena Football League
Following Scott Butera's departure, Boe was named commissioner of the Arena Football League in 2018. At that point, the league operated with four active teams during the 2018 season. The Arena Football League ultimately ceased operations after completing the 2019 season.