Law Commons^™

The Fcc’S Implementation Of The 1996 Act: Agency Litigation Strategies And Delay, Rebecca Beynon

Federal Communications Law Journal

Since it began promulgating rules to implement the local competition provisions of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the FCC has been under attack in the courts. The road has been a rough one, and the Commission has lost on a good many issues. The Commission has regularly accused its opponents in these legal battles-chiefly the incumbent local exchange carriers-of using litigation to impede the implementation of the 1996 Act’s local competition provisions. As discussed in this Article, if litigation has in fact slowed the introduction of competition in the local exchange markets, the Commission itself must share some of the …

The Rights Of Common Carriers And The Decision Whether To Be A Common Carrier Or A Non-Regulated Communications Provider, James H. Lister

Federal Communications Law Journal

The decision whether to be a regulated common carrier or a non-regulated communications provider carries with it numerous benefits and burdens that must be weighed. Although one may automatically assume that non-regulation is preferable, that may not always be the case. This Article directly addresses the decision of whether to be a lightly-regulated non-dominant common carrier or a non-regulated private carrier. The Article argues that certain statutory and regulatory rights enjoyed by common carriers are more important than the minimal regulatory burdens associated with non-dominant common carrier regulation.

Too Much Power, Too Little Restraint: How The Fcc Expands Its Reach Through Unenforceable And Unwieldy “Voluntary” Agreements, Bryan N. Tramont

Federal Communications Law Journal

The character of a regulatory agency is most severely tested at the zenith of its power. When the Federal Communications Commission ("FCC" or "Commission") breaks free of the limitations imposed by the law, the Commission’s leadership sets its own course. It is at these times, when legal oversight is at a minimum, that it becomes most important for the agency to "pay more attention to justice." Unfortunately, as outlined in this Article, the FCC has often failed this test of institutional character. In at least three contexts, the Commission has proven to be something less than a benevolent master. In …

Clear Inarticulation--State Action Antitrust Immunity And State Agencies: Neo Gen Screening, Inc. V. New England Newborn Screening Program, Shane L. Keppner

BYU Law Review

No abstract provided.

Professor Waller's Un-American Approach To Antitrust, Robert H. Lande

All Faculty Scholarship

Professor Waller asks an un-American question - what can the United States antitrust program learn from the rest of the world? This question is un-American because we in the United States rarely look to others for advice. Besides, we invented antitrust and we were practically alone in the world in enforcing antitrust for almost a century. Only during the current generation have many other nations had active and vigorous antitrust programs. Moreover, the United States is in the business of exporting our accumulated century of antitrust wisdom through a wide variety of methods, and we revel in playing this role. …

Legalizing Merger To Monopoly And Higher Prices: The Canadian Competition Tribunal Gets It Wrong, Alan A. Fisher Ph.D., Robert H. Lande, Stephen F. Ross

All Faculty Scholarship

This article analyzes the Canadian Superior Propane decision, apparently the first merger decision in world history to consider explicitly what to do when a merger was predicted to lead to both higher consumer prices and to net efficiencies. The article advocates analyzing the merger under a "price to consumers" or "consumer welfare" standard, rather than a total efficiency standard, and advocates that the enforcers and the courts block such mergers.

The Anticompetitive Effect Of Passive Investment, David Gilo

Michigan Law Review

There are many cases in which a firm passively invests in its competitor. For example, Microsoft passively invested in $150 million worth of the nonvoting stock of Apple, its historic rival in the operating systems market. Also, in November 1998, Northwest Airlines, the nation's fourth-largest airline, purchased 14% of the common stock of Continental Airlines Inc., the nation's fifth-largest (and fastest growing) airline. Northwest competes with Continental on seven routes, serving 3.6 million passengers per year. In another example, TCI, the nation's largest cable operator, became a passive investor with a 9% stake (which can be increased, under the terms …

Once More Unto The Breach: Reconciling Chevron Analysis And De Novo Judicial Review After United States V. Haggar Apparel Company , Claire R. Kelly, Patrick C. Reed

American University Law Review

No abstract provided.

After Microsoft Wins, Robert H. Lande

All Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Farewell To The Quick Look: Redefining The Scope And Content Of The Rule Of Reason, Alan J. Meese

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Antitrust, Michael Eric Ross

Mercer Law Review

The Eleventh Circuit's 1999 term was unremarkable for its antitrust jurisprudence. The court published only three antitrust decisions.

Morton's Market, Inc. v. Gustafson's Dairy, Inc. 198 F.3d 823 (11th Cir. 1999); Lowell v. American Cyanamid Co., 177 F.3d 1228 (11th Cir. 1999); MCA Television Ltd. v. Public Interest Corp., 171 F.3d 1265 (11th Cir. 1999). A fourth decision, Laker Airways, Inc. v. British Airways, PLC, 182 F.3d 843 (11th Cir. 1999), involved an antitrust action, but the opinion concerned application of FED. R. CIV. P. 19 and did not turn on application of substantive antitrust law. …

The Implications Of Daubert For Economic Evidence In Antitrust Cases, Roger D. Blair, Jill Boylston Herndon

Washington and Lee Law Review

No abstract provided.

Defining Reliable Forensic Economics In The Post-Daubert/Kumho Tire Era: Case Studies From Antitrust, Andrew I. Gavil

Washington and Lee Law Review

No abstract provided.

Restitution On Behalf Of Indirect Purchasers: Opening The Backdoor To Illinois Brick, Ivy Johnson

Washington and Lee Law Review

No abstract provided.

Letter Of Introduction, M. Anne Swanson

Federal Communications Law Journal

No abstract provided.

The Cbs-Viacom Merger: Impact On Journalism, Jim Parker

Federal Communications Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Growing Media Consolidation Must Be Examined To Preserve Our Democracy, Paul Wellstone

Federal Communications Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Viacom-Cbs Merger: Media Competition And Consolidation In The New Millennium, Andrew Jay Schwartzman

Federal Communications Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Joint Statement Of Sumner M. Redstone Chairman And Chief Executive Officer Viacom Inc. And Mel Karmazin President And Chief Executive Officer Of Cbs Corp., Summer M. Redstone, Mel Karmazin

Federal Communications Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Cbs-Viacom And The Effects Of Media Mergers: An Economic Perspective, David Waterman

Federal Communications Law Journal

No abstract provided.

From Consumers To Users: Shifting The Deeper Structures Of Regulation Toward Sustainable Commons And User Access, Yochai Benkler

Federal Communications Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Structural Regulation Of The Media And The Diversity Rationale, Jerome A. Barron

Federal Communications Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Limiting Tort Liability For Online Third-Party Content Under Section 230 Of The Communications Act, Jonathan A. Friedman, Francis M. Buono

Federal Communications Law Journal

Section 230 of the Communications Act provides online service providers (OSPs) with immunity from liability for harms arising from third-party content that is made available through an OSP's services. Some courts have recently held that section 230 immunity covers not only defamation but any tort claim that would make an OSP liable for information originating from the OSP's users or commercial partners. This Article argues that section 230 has been properly interpreted by the courts and that, contrary to the claims of critics, those decisions have not created a disincentive for OSPs aggressively to monitor their sites for defamatory or …

Reflections On The Fcc’S Recent Approach To Structural Regulation Of The Electronic Mass Media, Lili Levi

Federal Communications Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Application Of The Telephone Consumer Protection Act To Intrastate Telemarketing Calls And Faxes, Hilary B. Miller, Robert R. Biggerstaff

Federal Communications Law Journal

Miller and Biggerstaff address the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 (TCPA). Specifically, they point out that because the TCPA does not preempt state law and Congress expressly intended it to coexist with state laws regulating intrastate telemarketing and fax advertising, confusion has evolved regarding the application of the TCPA to intrastate telemarketing calls and fax advertisements. This Article breaks the analysis into two questions: (1) did Congress intend intrastate calls to be covered by the statute; and (2) if Congress intended the statute to cover intrastate calls, is it constitutionally permissible for Congress to regulate calls and faxes that …

Www.Franchisedisclosure.Com: Assessing The Ftc's Proposed Franchise Rule Provisions Involving Electronic Disclosure, Perry C. Siatis

BYU Law Review

No abstract provided.

"To Say The Greatest Matters In The Simplest Way": A "First Economic Injury" Rule As A Restatement Of Directness Standing Requirements In Federal Antitrust Law, Christopher B. Durbin

Washington Law Review

In addition to traditional constitutional standing analysis, federal antitrust law examines a potential plaintiff's claims under a series of specialized standing requirements. One of these requirements is that the plaintiff's injury be a "direct" result of the antitrust violator's misconduct. This requirement has been prominent in recent tobacco litigation where union health care trust funds sued the major tobacco companies in antitrust to recover the costs of treating nicotine-addicted beneficiaries. Federal courts generally denied standing to the trust funds for several reasons, one of which was the trust funds' failure to satisfy the directness requirements. This Comment analyzes the tests …

Progress And Regress On Interlata Competition, David M. Mandy

Federal Communications Law Journal

At this writing, the FCC has denied Bell Operating Company applications for entry into in-region interLATA (long-distance) markets in Oklahoma, Michigan, South Carolina, Louisiana, and on a reapplication in Louisiana; approved one application for New York; and is currently considering an application for Texas. Thus, almost four years elapsed from the passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 until any Bell Company received relief from the line-of-business restriction, and even now relief has been received in only one state. This Article briefly reviews the economics of Bell Company entry into interLATA markets; summarizes the reasons given by the FCC for …

Strategies To Promote Advanced Telecommunications Capabilities, Bob Rowe

Federal Communications Law Journal

Section 706 instructs both the FCC and state public utility commissions to promote deployment of advanced telecommunications capabilities. Much policy discussion of broadband access to date has focused on rearguing preexisting telecommunications policy debates, and has not produced significant incremental deployment of ATCs. ATC issues are much more diverse and specific than is commonly assumed, potentially requiring a menu of strategies to resolve. The "cooperative federalist" structure of the Telecommunications Act provides important context and guidance for implementing section 706. A Federal-State Joint Conference or task force would be a cooperative federalist vehicle for identifying ATC issues, developing strategies to …

Copyright And Antitrust: The Effects Of The Digital Performance Rights In Sound Recordings Act Of 1995 In Foreign Markets, Connie C. Davis

Federal Communications Law Journal

The licensing of copyrighted nondramatic works by performance rights societies has long been recognized as a potential source of antitrust violations. In 1995, the Congress passed the Digital Performance Rights in Sound Recordings Act in an effort to deal with the licensing problems associated with nondramatic musical works. The DPRSRA created a right in sound recordings to perform the copyrighted work publicly by means of a digital audio transmission as well as establishing compulsory licensing scheme. However, the DPRSRA failed to address the problem of licensing of nondramatic works in foreign markets. This Note identifies the anticompetitive licensing scheme practiced …