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Communications Law

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Maurer School of Law: Indiana University

1997

Reform

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Full-Text Articles in Law

An Opportunity Lost: The United Kingdom's Failed Reform Of Defamation Law, Douglas W. Vick, Linda Macpherson Apr 1997

An Opportunity Lost: The United Kingdom's Failed Reform Of Defamation Law, Douglas W. Vick, Linda Macpherson

Federal Communications Law Journal

The Defamation Act 1996 is the first major piece of libel legislation in Britain since the Defamation Act 1952. The British Parliament passed the Act in response to the ease with which libel plaintiffs can establish liability and in response to huge damage awards. In passing the Act, Parliament attempted to shift the balance of defamation law away from protecting the reputational interest of plaintiffs and toward protecting free discussion and open criticism. However, the Act merely fine-tunes current law. The Act reduces the limitations period for defamation suits, introduces procedural reforms to simplify and reduce libel suits and permits …


Fcc Reform: Governing Requires A New Standard, William H. Read, Ronald Alan Weiner Feb 1997

Fcc Reform: Governing Requires A New Standard, William H. Read, Ronald Alan Weiner

Federal Communications Law Journal

Perhaps one of the most crucial questions legislators need to address after passing the 1996 Act is the reform of the Federal Communications Commission. Some suggest that the Commission should be abolished altogether, while others recommend merely curtailing some of the Commission's responsibilities. However, true reform of the FCC recognizes that the Commission still has a vital role to play in the shaping of the telecommunications industry. Instead of dismantling the FCC altogether, Congress should redefine the public interest standard under which the FCC operates. The 1934 Communications Act charged the Federal Communications Commission with protecting "the public interest." While …