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Full-Text Articles in Antitrust and Trade Regulation

The Fcc’S Implementation Of The 1996 Act: Agency Litigation Strategies And Delay, Rebecca Beynon Dec 2000

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 Dec 2000

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 Dec 2000

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 …


Letter Of Introduction, M. Anne Swanson May 2000

Letter Of Introduction, M. Anne Swanson

Federal Communications Law Journal

No abstract provided.


The Cbs-Viacom Merger: Impact On Journalism, Jim Parker May 2000

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 May 2000

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 May 2000

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 May 2000

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 May 2000

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 May 2000

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 May 2000

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 May 2000

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 May 2000

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 May 2000

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 …


Progress And Regress On Interlata Competition, David M. Mandy Mar 2000

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 Mar 2000

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 Mar 2000

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 …


The Game Of Radiopoly: An Antitrust Perspective Of Consolidation In The Radio Industry, Sarah Elizabeth Leeper Mar 2000

The Game Of Radiopoly: An Antitrust Perspective Of Consolidation In The Radio Industry, Sarah Elizabeth Leeper

Federal Communications Law Journal

The Telecommunications Act of 1996 eliminated nationwide radio ownership restrictions and liberalized local ownership caps. As a result of this deregulation, the radio industry has experienced mass consolidation. Faced with an unprecedented number of proposed mergers, the federal antitrust enforcement agencies play an increasingly important role in the outcome of media mergers. The Horizontal Merger Guidelines, the primary vehicle of antitrust enforcement, address primarily economic factors to prevent anticompetitive mergers. Despite the healthy revenues generated through economies of scope and scale, it is questionable whether a sufficient regulatory mechanism exists to ensure diversity of voices. Although it is still too …


Online Auction Fraud: Are The Auction Houses Doing All They Should Or Could To Stop Online Fraud?, James M. Snyder Mar 2000

Online Auction Fraud: Are The Auction Houses Doing All They Should Or Could To Stop Online Fraud?, James M. Snyder

Federal Communications Law Journal

In April 1998, the FTC released a consumer alert pertaining to the increasing problem of online auction fraud. As the number of online auction participants increased, online auction fraud was becoming more prevalent. The FTC requested comments regarding methods that would be appropriate for curbing the increase in consumer deception. Many in the online auction industry proposed voluntary self-regulation. This Note exposes the inadequacy of industry self-regulation by analogizing online auction abuse with the misuse and near downfall of the 900-number industry. This Note proposes that only a regime of strict industry guidelines that the FTC initiates will halt online …