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Full-Text Articles in Law
The Battle For Portland, Maine, L. Andrew Tollin
The Battle For Portland, Maine, L. Andrew Tollin
Federal Communications Law Journal
In 1985, when the FCC began the competitive process of deciding who would be licensed to provide cellular telephone service to Portland, Maine, chaos and irony reigned. Thirteen years later, after a bitter legal battle among local telephone companies, a provider was finally selected. At one point or another, all three branches of government became involved. The license itself changed hands three times during the case and, in essence, three different telephone systems were constructed. Ultimately, the case was decided on the basis of whether the FCC complied with a preexisting federal law, the Paperwork Reduction Act, in adopting the …
The Fcc’S Minority Tax Certificate Program: A Proposal For Life After Death, Erwin G. Krasnow, Lisa M. Fowlkes
The Fcc’S Minority Tax Certificate Program: A Proposal For Life After Death, Erwin G. Krasnow, Lisa M. Fowlkes
Federal Communications Law Journal
In 1995, Congress eliminated the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Minority Tax Certificate Program—a nonintrusive method of encouraging increased participation of minority entrepreneurs as owners in the broadcast and cable industries. Since that time, minorities have faced increased difficulties competing in all facets of the communications industry. These difficulties can be attributed to: (1) increased consolidation within the broadcast industry as a result of provisions of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 relaxing certain broadcast ownership limitations; (2) recent court decisions adverse to minority-specific programs; and (3) continued obstacles faced by minorities in accessing sufficient capital to acquire licenses and compete in …
The Value Of The Tax Certificate, Kofi Asiedu Ofori, Mark Lloyd
The Value Of The Tax Certificate, Kofi Asiedu Ofori, Mark Lloyd
Federal Communications Law Journal
Tax certificates are an example of successful incentive regulation. Prior to its repeal in 1995, section 1071 of the Internal Revenue Code permitted the tax-free sale or exchange of media properties to effectuate policies of the Federal Communications Commission. Enacted by Congress in 1943, this provision was originally used to soften the hardship created by involuntary sales of broadcast properties made necessary to reduce ownership concentration in the radio industry. In 1978, the tax certificate was used to promote goals to increase minority ownership of a variety of communications properties. This Article discusses the "value" of tax certificates as a …
Cap-Sized: How The Promise Of The Price Cap Voyage To Competition Was Lost In A Sea Of Good Intentions, Gregory J. Vogt
Cap-Sized: How The Promise Of The Price Cap Voyage To Competition Was Lost In A Sea Of Good Intentions, Gregory J. Vogt
Federal Communications Law Journal
This Article explores the Federal Communication Commission’s efforts to regulate into being marketplace economic forces through price cap regulation. A comprehensive analysis of the history and policies behind price cap regulation of LECs offers guidance for the future. Ultimately, while progress towards local exchange competition has been made, certain important adjustments should be implemented to allow price caps to achieve their full potential. These changes, consistent with the original theory of price caps, will in turn help speed the transition to competition.
The First Amendment Case Against Fcc Ip Telephony Regulation, Tuan N. Samahon
The First Amendment Case Against Fcc Ip Telephony Regulation, Tuan N. Samahon
Federal Communications Law Journal
This Comment argues that IP telephony, like handbills and traditional print media, deserves First Amendment protection against FCC regulatory authority. After briefly reviewing the IP telephony phenomenon within the larger context of "digital convergence," the Comment examines the FCC and Supreme Court’s technologically driven First Amendment jurisprudence—particularly, the First Amendment’s conspicuous absence from the IP telephony dialogue, and, correspondingly, the prominence of assurances of regulatory forbearance in Congress, the courts, and the FCC. In response, the Author offers First Amendment content-based and content-neutral arguments against the proposed telephony regulations. At the very least, the affordability and innovation IP telephony offers …
From International Competitive Carrier To The Wto: A Survey Of The Fcc’S International Telecommunications Policy Initiatives 1985-1998, Lawrence J. Spiwak
From International Competitive Carrier To The Wto: A Survey Of The Fcc’S International Telecommunications Policy Initiatives 1985-1998, Lawrence J. Spiwak
Federal Communications Law Journal
No abstract provided.