Communications Law Commons^™

Relaxing The Rules Of Media Ownership: Localism And Competition And Diversity, Oh My! The Frightening Road Of Deregulation , Kristen Morse

Journal of the National Association of Administrative Law Judiciary

No abstract provided.

S!*T, P*@S, C*^T, F*#K, C*@!S*&!Er, M*!#$*@!*#^R, T*!S - The Fcc's Crackdown On Indecency, Lindsay Weiss

Journal of the National Association of Administrative Law Judiciary

No abstract provided.

Satellite Radio: An Innovative Technology's Path Through The Fcc And Into The Future, Adam Cain

Journal of the National Association of Administrative Law Judiciary

No abstract provided.

I Want My Mtv, But Not Your Vh1: A La Carte Cable, Bundling, And The Potential Great Cable Compromise, Holly Phillips

Journal of the National Association of Administrative Law Judiciary

No abstract provided.

It's A Series Of Tubes: Network Neutrality In The United States And How The Current Economic Environment Presents A Unique Opportunity To Invest In The Future Of The Internet , Andrew Seitz

Journal of the National Association of Administrative Law Judiciary

It is almost an accident that the Internet developed the way it did. In the late 1990's large internet service providers (ISPs), such as AOL, that had their own proprietary networks failed to fully realize that their business model was becoming obsolete, and instead the Internet developed into the open network that it is today. But is an open network the best model for the Internet? Could more of a free market deliver a better product to the consumer? Broadband providers such as AT&T and Verizon believe that in order to give their customers the best product, they should be …

How Detailed Of An Explanation Is Required When An Administrative Agency Changes An Existing Policy? Implications And Analysis Of Fcc V. Fox Television Stations, Inc. On Administrative Law Making And Television Broadcasters, David Lee

Journal of the National Association of Administrative Law Judiciary

No abstract provided.

Privacy And Missing Persons After Natural Disasters, Joel Reidenberg, Robert Gellman, Jamela Debelak, Adam Elewa, Nancy Liu

Center on Law and Information Policy

When a natural disaster occurs, government agencies, humanitarian organizations, private companies, volunteers, and others collect information about missing persons to aid the search effort. Often this processing of information about missing persons exacerbates the complexities and uncertainties of privacy rules. This report offers a road map to the legal and policy issues surrounding privacy and missing persons following natural disasters. The report first identifies the privacy challenges in the disaster context and provides some recent examples that demonstrate how disaster relief information sharing raises unique privacy concerns and issues. It then outlines current missing persons information sharing activities in the …

The Invalidation Of Mandatory Cable Access Regulations: Fcc V. Midwest Video Corp., Robert L. Clarkson

Pepperdine Law Review

No abstract provided.

A Barometer Of Freedom Of The Press: The Opinions Of Mr. Justice White , Michael J. Armstrong

Pepperdine Law Review

Since the Zurcher v. Stanford Daily decision which was authored by Justice Byron F. White, the news media has become increasingly concerned with its' first amendment protections from governmental searches. Since Justice White has been the voice of the United States Supreme Court on this very issue, the author submits that an examination of Justice White's media related opinions can serve as a "barometer" for the constitutional protections of the news media. The author examines the use of Justice White to the Supreme Court, his staunch adherence to stare decisis, and the historical foundation of the first amendment as they …

National Subscription Television V. S & H, Tv: The Problem Of Unauthorized Interception Of Subscription Television—Are The Legal Airwaves Unscrambled?, Thomas R. Catanese

Pepperdine Law Review

The unending stream of technological innovations that best exemplifies the electronic media has left the law in its wake. Because of rapid advancements in the forms communications may take, the law has sometimes been slow in effectively and rationally affording protection against the piracy of these new types of electronic media. One such type of electronic media is the transmission of over-the-air scrambled broadcasts, more properly "subscription" television, wherein a party pays a subscription fee to receive nonstandard television programming. National Subscription Television v. S & H, TV, in view of prior divided case law, settled the question of whether …

What Your Tweet Doesn't Say: Twitter, Non-Content Data, And The Stored Communications Act, Daniel Shickich

Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts

A federal district court in Virginia recently held that Twitter users have no privacy rights regarding non-content information associated with their use of Twitter. The court thus affirmed that the government may obtain Twitter users’ Internet Protocol (IP) addresses without notice to the users. The users in this case were alleged to be members of WikiLeaks. The government obtained an order of production in connection with grand jury proceedings, compelling Twitter to turn over IP address data to the government. After Twitter motioned to have the order unsealed, the alleged WikiLeaks members unsuccessfully attempted to intervene to quash the order …

Commercial Speech In Crisis: Crisis Pregnancy Center Regulations And Definitions Of Commercial Speech, Kathryn E. Gilbert

Michigan Law Review

Recent attempts to regulate Crisis Pregnancy Centers, pseudoclinics that surreptitiously aim to dissuade pregnant women from choosing abortion, have confronted the thorny problem of how to define commercial speech. The Supreme Court has offered three potential answers to this definitional quandary. This Note uses the Crisis Pregnancy Center cases to demonstrate that courts should use one of these solutions, the factor-based approach of Bolger v. Youngs Drugs Products Corp., to define commercial speech in the Crisis Pregnancy Center cases and elsewhere. In principle and in application, the Bolger factor-based approach succeeds in structuring commercial speech analysis at the margins of …

The Supreme Court Strikes Down The Public Broadcasting Editorial Ban: Federal Communications Commission V. League Of Women Voters, Michael R. Gradisher

Pepperdine Law Review

In Federal Communications Commission v. League of Women Voters, the United States Supreme Court struck down a statute on first amendment grounds which prohibited public broadcasters from editorializing. Those who favor the deregulation of broadcasting and the institution of a free market system hail the decision as a rare step in the right direction, after years of unquestioned congressional right to freely regulate broadcasting. They point to the Court's apparent willingness to reconsider its historical view of broadcasting, which has always received less first amendment protection than the print medium. However, the Court confirms its longstanding view that broadcasting may …

Copyright And The First Amendment: Freedom Or Monopoly Of Expression?, Henry S. Hoberman

Pepperdine Law Review

No abstract provided.

Description And Analysis Of Ftc Order Provisions Resulting From References In Advertising To Tests Or Surveys , Ivan L. Preston

Pepperdine Law Review

No abstract provided.

Gottesman V. Vardi, Uzi Vogelman, Salim Joubran, Noam Sohlberg

Translated Opinions

[This abstract is not part of the Court's opinion and is provided for the reader's convenience. It has been translated from a Hebrew version prepared by Nevo Press Ltd. and is used with its kind permission.]

The Second Appellant (hereinafter referred to as "Gottesman") is an architect who designed a unique dwelling (hereinafter referred to as "the house") for the Respondent (hereinafter referred to as "Vardi"). Gottesman asked to photograph the house in order to showcase it on his firm's website. Vardi refused. In addition, Gottesman published computer simulations of Vardi's house on the website without giving details that would …

Universal Service: Competition, Interconnection And Monopoly In The Making Of The American Telephone System, Milton Mueller

Books

This book, based on years of archival research at the AT&T/Bell Labs in the aftermath of the divestiture, was originally published in 1997 as part of the MIT Press/AEI Series on Telecommunications Regulation. Acclaimed by reviewers such as Lawrence Lessig as “extraordinary” and “a crisply written mix of history and clear theory,” the small press run was sold out by 2002. Nevertheless, every year I encountered people who asked where they could get copies. The AEI series had long come to an end, its funds gone and its editorial team disbanded, making a new press run all but impossible.

It …

The Fcc's Broadcast Indecency Policy On "Fleeting Expletives" After The Supreme Court's Latest Decision In F.C.C. V. Fox Television Stations: Sustainable Or Also "Fleeting?", Alison Nemeth

CommLaw Conspectus: Journal of Communications Law and Technology Policy (1993-2015)

No abstract provided.

Social Media And Electronic Discovery: New Technology, Same Issues, Jesse C. Rowe

Florida A & M University Law Review

No abstract provided.

Whose Streets: California Public Utilities Code Section 7901 In The Wireless Age, Michael W. Shonafelt

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

In 1850, cutting-edge communications infrastructure took the form of telegraph poles and wires. The first Transcontinental Railroad would not be completed until the Golden Spike joined the rail lines at Promontory Point on May 10, 1869. The railroad right of way afforded an important avenue, allowing the new nation to be linked from coast to coast by the miracle of the telegraph's new technology. Today, 162 years later, the new technology is wireless broadband. An important avenue for its expansion and goal of universal coverage are the roads and highways of the state of California.

To meet exponential demand, wireless …

Anonymous Speech On The Internet, In Amateur Media: Social, Cultural And Legal Perspectives (Dan Hunter Et Al. Eds., 2013), Brian C. Murchison

Books and Chapters

The U.S. legal community is engaged in a serious but inconclusive dialogue on issues relating to anonymous speech on the Internet. To be sure, several basic questions relevant to Internet speech have been settled: in a 1997 case; the Supreme Court determined that strict scrutiny applies to Internet content regulation, and in a 1995 case, the Court recognized a First Amendment right of anonymous speech. Yet the 1995 case did not arise in an Internet setting, and the scope of expressive freedom in certain Internet scenarios remains disputed. Over the past ten years, courts and commentators have grappled with anonymous …

Smashing The Copyright Act To Make Room For The Mashup Artist: How A Four-Tiered Matrix Better Accommodates Evolving Technology And Needs Of The Entertainment Industry, Caroline Kinsey

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

With the rise of online blogging, social networking platforms, and videosharing sites such as YouTube and Yahoo Video, it is now possible for one individual to rival the span of entire media empires from one's basement computer. Commonly known as the Web 2.0 phenomenon, the combination of these technological advancements with video platforms that encourage users to "engage, create, and share content online" has fundamentally transformed the music industry. No longer are fans passive listeners, but instead, with the click of a mouse and access to the Internet, they become "publisher[s], TV network[s], radio station[s], movie studio[s], record label[s], and …

An Actual Problem In First Amendment Jurisprudence: Examining The Immediate Impact Of Brown's Proof-Of-Causation Doctrine On Free Speech And Its Compatibility With The Marketplace Theory, Clay Calvert, Matthew D. Bunker

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

This article analyzes the immediate impact on First Amendment jurisprudence of the U.S. Supreme Court's "direct causal link" requirement adopted in 2011 in Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association. In embracing an empirically focused proof-of-causation doctrine, Brown marked the first time in the Court's history it had used the phrase "direct causal link" in any free speech case. But just one year later, in a very different factual context in United States v. Alvarez, the Court struck down a federal law making it a crime to lie about earning military medals. In December 2012, a federal judge used Brown's "direct causal …

Internet Freedom And Computer Abuse, Lothar Determann

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act ("CFAA") has a bad reputation. It is associated with constitutional law challenges and community outrage. It played a role in the tragic suicide of Aaron Swartz, computer programmer, Internet activist and CFAA defendant. It has been decried as a basis for abuse of justice, which is ironic, given its title and focus on punishing abuse. It has been called "the worst law in technology" and "the most outrageous criminal law you've never heard of." It is loathed and feared as a threat to Internet freedom.

A particular concern is that the law could criminalize …

The Overexpansion Of The Communications Decency Act Safe Harbor, Joey Ou

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

Congress enacted the CDA as part of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, due to concerns over pornography on the Internet. Section 230 was added to support and encourage the proliferation of information on the Internet. However, this section of the CDA has since developed into one of the most influential cyberspace laws protecting websites and ISPs from liability. State and federal courts have interpreted section 230 protection expansively, conferring broad immunity upon websites, including immunity for violations of the Fair Housing Act ("FHA"). This is especially significant because "the Internet has become 'a unique and wholly new medium of worldwide …

Tethering Applications And Open Internet Rules For The Mobile Broadband: Lessons From The Fcc-Verizon Settlement, Matthew Tonner

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

This note investigates the regulation of mobile broadband using tethering applications as an example of how to apply net neutrality rules. Part II looks at the recent history of the FCC Open Internet regulations and the rapid advances in the speed, capabilities, and prevalence of mobile broadband as a primary means of Internet access. Part III discusses the 2012 settlement reached between Verizon and the FCC over Verizon's request that Google remove tethering apps from the Android Store. Following that, Part IV assesses the merits of the FCC's current approach to enforcing net neutrality policy via contractual provisions attached to …

Why Cant We Be Friends Preserving Public Confidence In The Judiciary Through Limited Use Of Social Networking, Helia Garrido Hull

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

A Victimless Sex Crime: The Case For Decriminalizing Consensual Teen Sexting, Joanna R. Lampe

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

As teenagers' access to cellular phones and the internet has increased over the past two decades, so has their ability to harm themselves and others through misuse of new technology. One risky behavior that has become common among teenagers is "sexting"--the digital sharing of sexually suggestive images. To combat the dangers of teen sexting, many states have criminalized the act. Criminalization does not resolve the issue of teen sexting, however, and in many cases it may cause additional harm. This Note reviews existing state laws related to teen sexting, and critiques these laws on constitutional and policy grounds. It then …

People V. Diaz, Senate Bill 914 And The Fourth Amendment, Caitlin Keane

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

After the Diaz decision in January, Senator Mark Leno, a Democrat representing San Francisco, took matters into his own hands and drafted Senate Bill 914. In short, the bill would have overturned the Court's decision and required law enforcement to obtain a search warrant from a neutral magistrate before searching arrestees' portable electronic devices. The bill passed with overwhelming support from both political parties in the State Assembly and State Senate and needed only Governor Brown's signature or tacit approval to become law. Governor Brown vetoed the bill in October 2011, stating, "[t]he courts are better suited to resolve the …

Imposing A Duty In An Online World: Holding The Webhost Liable For Cyberbullying, Elizabeth M. Jaffe

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

In light of fettle attempts by state legislatures to subdue the growing cyberbullying epidemic, the time has come to create a civil duty upon those who can control the problem-web hosts and webservers. While the general "foreseeable plaintiff' duty set forth by then-Chief Judge Cardozo in PaIsgraf v. Long Island Railroad Co. has controlled the duty of care owed to the person of another for the last century, Judge Andrews' dissent may hold the key to unlock this new societal problem: "Every one owes to the world at large the duty of refraining from those acts that may unreasonably threaten …