Communications Law Commons^™

The Role Of Theory And Evidence In Media Regulation And Law: A Response To Baker And A Defense Of Empirical Legal Studies, Daniel E. Ho, Kevin M. Quinn

Federal Communications Law Journal

We thank Professor Baker for a stimulating response to an Article in which we offered empirical evidence of editorial viewpoint diversity in the face of media consolidation. We appreciate his praise of the Article as "apply[ing] innovative statistical techniques" and as "far superior methodologically to most empirical studies" he has seen. At the same time, Baker "denies the policy relevance" to our Article because empirical evidence is "entirely irrelevant" to the field of media regulation under his preferred normative theory. Baker argues sweepingly that the legal academy's increased willingness to consider the perspectives of quantitative empiricists and positive theorists is …

Unlocking The Wireless Safe: Opening Up The Wireless World For Consumers, Adam Clay

Federal Communications Law Journal

Facing resistance to the use of its Voice-over-Internet Protocol application on mobile phones, in February 2007, Skype Communications filed a petition with the FCC asking for application of the Carterfone standards to the wireless phone industry. This Note discusses Carterfone and the merits of Skype's petition in light of the recent auction of the C Block, which carries open network requirements, and developments in wireless technology. This Note argues that the FCC should require carriers to provide technical standards for access to their networks, whereby individuals will be able to connect any approved device and application of their choosing.

Who Needs Tickets? Examining Problems In The Growing Online Ticket Resale Industry, Clark P. Kirkman

Federal Communications Law Journal

The Internet has dramatically changed the methods by which people purchase tickets to events. In the past decade, the secondary ticket market has grown exponentially, and today the online ticket resale industry is valued at approximately $4 billion. Although there are consumer benefits to this industry growth, some of the industry practices have precipitated a consumer backlash. This was typified in 2007 when many parents, hoping to purchase tickets to the Hannah Montana "Best of Both Worlds Tour," watched as tickets sold out online in only a few minutes or less. Coupled with this episode was the Ticketmaster v. RMG …

Masthead Vol.61 No.3 (2009)

Federal Communications Law Journal

No abstract provided.

The Never-Ending Limits Of § 230: Extending Isp Immunity To The Sexual Exploitation Of Children, Katy Noeth

Federal Communications Law Journal

In 2006, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas extended civil liability to Yahoo! under § 230 of the Communications Decency Act so that it could not be sued for knowingly profiting from a Web site where members exchanged sexually explicit pictures of minors. The court found that the reasoning of the seminal § 230 case, Zeran v. AOL, was analogous and that policy considerations mandated its holding.

This Note argues that a multifaceted approach is needed to prevent future courts from following that decision, including an amendment to § 230 that would impose civil liability upon …

‘Right Of Selfishness’ Vis-À-Vis Media Pluralism In The Us And In Europe: The Crucial Role Of Broadcasting At The Verge Of Private Enterprise And Public Trusteeship, Niels Lutzhoeft

Cornell Law School Inter-University Graduate Student Conference Papers

Few areas of law raise the question as to the delimitation of the public vis-à-vis the private sphere as forcefully as broadcasting does. And few businesses display the dual nature inherent in nature radio and TV broadcasting: economic versus cultural good. In Continental Europe, until the 1980s, broadcasting was subject to State monopolies that ought to ensure media pluralism. Likewise, the U.S. Supreme Court, embracing a scarcity rationale, qualified the First Amendment in the realm of broadcasting primarily as a right of the listeners and viewers to receive a wide array of information and opinions. In Red Lion, the Court …

Comments Of 71 Concerned Economists: Using Procurement Auctions To Allocate Broadband Stimulus Grants, Jonathan Baker, William Baumol, Kenneth Arrow, Susan Athey, Coleman Bazelon, Timothy Brennan, Timothy Bresnahan, Jeremy Bulow, Yeon-Koo Che, Peter Cramton, Daniel Ackerberg, James Alleman, Gregory Crawford, Peter Demarzo, Gerald Faulhaber, Jeremy Fox, Ian Gale, Jacob Goeree, Brent Goldfarb, Shane Greenstein, Robert Hahn, Robert Hall, Ward Hanson, Barry Harris, Robert Harris, Janice Hauge, Jerry Hausman, Thomas Hazlett, Kenneth Hendricks, Heather Hudson, Mark Jamison, John Kagel, Alfred Kahn, Ilan Kremer, Vijay Krishna, William Lehr, Thomas Lenard, Jonathan Levin, Yuanchuan Lien, John Mayo, David Mcadams, Paul Milgrom, Roger Noll, Bruce Owen, Charles Plott, Robert Porter, Philip Reny, Michael Riordan, David Salant, Scott Savage, William Samuelson, Richard Schmalensee, Marius Schwartz, Andrzej Skrzypacz, Vernon Smith, Daniel Vincent, Joel Waldfogel, Scott Wallsten, Robert Weber, Bradley Wimmer, Glenn Woroch, Lixin Ye, John Hayes, Gregory Rosston

Legislative Testimony & Comments

The signatories to this document are economists who have studied telecommunications, auctions, and competition policy. While we may disagree about the stimulus package, we believe that it is important to implement mechanisms that make stimulus spending as efficient as possible. To that end, we have come together to encourage the National Telecommunications Information Agency (NTIA) and Rural Utilities Service (RUS) to adopt auction mechanisms to allocate broadband stimulus grants. The broadband stimulus NOI asks which mechanisms NTIA and RUS should use to distribute grants and how those mechanisms address shortcomings in traditional grant and loan programs. In this note we …

Whither Newspapers? Wither Newspapers?, Eric Easton

All Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

The Ginsburg Group: Technology: How To Stay Out Of Court, Jennifer Ballard, Lee Maglinger, Alisha Orosz, Mandy Skinner, Kevin Thomas

Parameters of Law in Student Affairs and Higher Education (CNS 670)

For professionals in higher education, it is our responsibility to stay on top of the ever changing landscape of technology at our colleges and universities. In order to provide the best and most convenient services, it is our objective to continue to expand the walls of higher education into the global boundaries of technology. For the purpose of this paper, the Ginsburg Group has focused on five different areas regarding the use of technology. In these areas, the information provided is our thoughts and best advice in how institutions of higher learning can avoid the courtroom. The following pages will …

Rationing The Infinite, Leonard M. Niehoff

Michigan Law Review

This Review raises a number of objections to Baker's arguments and proposals. Furthermore, this Review raises the fundamental question of whether Baker's central operating assumption-that media is a scarce resource that should be fairly distributed-remains timely in light of the far-reaching and fast-paced changes wrought by the internet. Nevertheless, this Review also recognizes that, as with Baker's prior works, Media Concentration and Democracy makes a serious contribution to the discussion of the political, social, and economic dynamics that challenge the existence of a strong and independent media. Media Concentration and Democracy does a better job of raising questions than of …

Editor's Note, Christopher J. Harayda

Federal Communications Law Journal

No abstract provided.

The Riaa, The Dmca, And The Forgotten Few Webcasters: A Call For Change In Digital Copyright Royalties, Kellen Myers

Federal Communications Law Journal

Emerging webcasting technology is playing an increasing role in modem society. The ease of use of webcast technology has brought about an increased user base as well as an increased viability for small webcasting businesses. However, the mix-tape genre of independent Internet radio has been financially and legislatively abused as a forerunner of rapidly advancing digital technology and concerns over protecting copyright royalties. This Note argues for a revision of the DMCA to provide a middle ground between protecting copyrighted works and allowing the continued existence of Internet radio.

Masthead Vol.61 No.2 (2009)

Federal Communications Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Beyond Content Neutrality: Understanding Content-Based Promotion Of Democratic Speech, Marvin Ammori

Federal Communications Law Journal

Scholars and judges generally assume that the cornerstone of free speech doctrine is the distinction between content-based and content-neutral laws. Despite its wide acceptance, the distinction lacks any precedential or normative basis, unless it also accounts for another equally important distinction. The scholars' conventional view of content-analysis overlooks the difference between the government banning a book or recommending it. Content-based laws that suppress specific content, like banning a television show, should be problematic, but content-based laws that promote specific content, such as promoting educational and political shows, should not be.

Precedent and the First Amendment's underlying normative concerns both require …

Reverse Auctions And Universal Telecommunications Service: Lessons From Global Experience, Scott Wallsten

Federal Communications Law Journal

The United States now spends around $7 billion on universal service programs-subsidies intended to ensure that the entire country has access to telecommunications services. Most of this money supports telecommunications service in "high cost" (primarily rural) areas, and the High Cost fund is growing quickly. In response to this growth, policymakers are considering using reverse auctions, or bids for the minimum subsidy, as a way to reduce expenditures. While the United States has not yet distributed funds for universal service programs using reverse auctions, the method has been used widely.

First, reverse auctions are akin to standard government procurement procedures, …

An Evaluation Of The Proposals In The Fcc's Intercarrier Compensation Reform Docket Related To Tandem Transit Services, John R. Harrington, Ronald W. Gavillet, Matt D. Basil, Melissa L. Dickey

Federal Communications Law Journal

As part of its Intercarrier Compensation Reform Docket, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has received many proposals advocating for the adoption of regulations relating to tandem transit services. As transiting affects virtually every carrier in the telecommunications industry, including traditional CLECs, cable telephony providers, wireless carriers, and even traditional ILECs, the industry is sharply divided over which, if any, of those proposals should be adopted. This Article provides an in-depth look at the issues dividing the industry, and the various proposals before the FCC. The Authors then hypothesize that the FCC should follow the lead of several state commissions who …

A Fundamental Misunderstanding: Fcc Implementation Of U.S. Wto Commitments, Laura B. Sherman

Federal Communications Law Journal

In bilateral and multilateral trade agreements, the United States has agreed to open the market for telecommunications services to foreign service suppliers, an obligation implemented by the FCC since 1998. In contrast, the United States has made no commitments with respect to broadcasting services or broadcast licenses. This article clarifies the different treatment of telecommunications services and broadcast services in U.S. trade obligations and FCC orders.

Paying The Price For Sports Tv: Preventing The Strategic Misuse Of The Fcc's Carriage Regulations, David Hutson

Federal Communications Law Journal

Cable companies and sports leagues have embarked upon parallel courses of vertical integration by creating and acquiring interests in cable sports networks. Cable companies carry regional sports networks (RSNs) on basic cable tiers. Some league-owned networks have sought high prices for carriage on basic tiers, causing some cable companies to balk because of the price increase they would have to pass on to consumers. The 1992 Cable Act prohibits cable companies from discriminating in carriage terms between affiliated and nonaffiliated networks. Cable companies that own RSNs are, therefore, left vulnerable to discrimination complaints by league-owned networks. This Note argues that …

Business Solutions To The Alien Ownership Restriction, Greg Snodgrass

Federal Communications Law Journal

The alien ownership restriction on broadcast licenses has had a profound effect on the entertainment industry over the past few decades. While the origins of the restriction were based on national security fears that no longer apply, the restriction is unlikely to be repealed without significant lobbying. Given the unlikelihood of repeal, this Note concludes that entertainment conglomerates should apply a two-pronged approach to overcome the barrier imposed by the ownership restriction. First, conglomerates should build powerful nonbroadcast superstations. Second, conglomerates should push the FCC to gradually loosen its application of the restriction. While this is not a perfect solution, …

Text Message Monitoring After Quon V. Arch Wireless: What Private Employers Need To Know About The Stored Communications Act And An Employee's Right To Privacy, Jennifer Heidt White

Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts

In June 2008, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals held that public employees have a reasonable expectation of privacy in the content of text messages sent from employer-owned devices. The court concluded that the expectation of privacy arises vis-à-vis the text-message service provider, even where an employee has signed an explicit waiver of such an expectation. The decision, Quon v. Arch Wireless, raises difficult questions about the limitations placed on text-message service providers by the Stored Communications Act, and an employer’s ability to regulate and monitor employee use of technology in the workplace. Although Quon only applies to public …

Screening Out Cyberbullies: Remedies For Victims On The Internet Playground, Shira Auerbach

Cardozo Law Review

No abstract provided.

What's Sex Got To Do With It - A Cinematic Critique On The Arguments Against Same-Sex Marriage, Scott Norton

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

For years, the same governmental interests have been presented to justify prohibitions on same-sex marriage. Supporters of the ban argue that marriage promotes procreation and child-rearing, neither of which can supposedly be done within the confines of a same-sex relationship. This note suggests the movie I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry illustrates that in practice, these justifications have become antiquated. Instead of defining marriage as two individuals in a committed relationship, courts tend to inject social mores into their decisions regarding the legality of same-sex marriage.

C.B.C. Distribution And Marketing, Inc. V. Major League Baseball Advanced Media, L.P.: The First Amendment Versus The Right Of Publicity In The Eighth Circuit, Surina Mann

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

This note examines the friction between the First Amendment and the right of publicity by examining the case of C.B.C. Distribution and Marketing, Inc. v. Major League Baseball Advanced Media, L.P., a case regarding fantasy league baseball. This note begins by discussing the legacy of the right of publicity, the policy goals that the right of publicity was devised to further, and several different tests that courts have designed to balance the right of publicity with the rights guaranteed by the First Amendment. This note then goes on to illustrate the background of fantasy league baseball and critique the C.B.C. …

The Nation's Broadband Success Story: The Secrecy Of Fcc Broadband Infrastructure Statistics, Benjamin W. Cramer

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

The Federal Communications Commission regularly promotes the competitiveness of the American broadband market and the availability of robust services to consumers. Since 2000, the Commission has reported on broadband deployment by zip code, and by late 2006 broadband was supposedly available in 99% of American zip codes, with those zip codes representing 99% of the population. However, the viability of the FCC's zip code-based measurement methodology has long been a matter of controversy, because until recently broadband was counted as "available" in a zip code even if as few as one household in the area has obtained service. This paper …

How Hands-On Will Regulation Of Hands-Free Be - An Analysis Of Sb 1613 And The Effectiveness Of Its Proposed Regulation, Jessica Croze

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

In order to prepare for the consequences of this new law, it will be extremely valuable to understand how "hands-free laws" are regulated in other states. Comparing California's new regulations to these existing laws and recognizing the history behind its inaction are crucial. An analysis of these previous attempts to regulate cell phone use while driving will ease the adoption of this new legislation in California. Since California's legislation, Bill 1613, regarding the ban on hand-held cellular devices while driving, was enacted the resulting public effect may have failed to fulfill the intention of the law.

The Politics Of Power: A Social Architecture Analysis Of The 2005-2008 Federal Shield Law Debate In Congress, Cathy Packer

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

Would a federal shield law hamper the U.S. Department of Justice's power to combat terrorism and other crimes? Would the law protect the media from the chilling effects of federal subpoenas? Or would the law unwisely grant the already powerful media legal rights denied to other citizens? And who should have the power to decide whether to allow the media to refuse to comply with federal subpoenas? These and similar questions about how power should be distributed among branches of the federal government and the media were at the center of the Congressional hearings and debate on the proposed federal …

Is Free Riding Aided By Parody To Sneak Between The Cracks Of The Trademark Dilution Revision Act, Corina I. Cacovean

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

Dilution as a form of intrusion on a trademark has been the object of intense consumer and competition discourses in United States. From the United States Supreme Court decision in Moseley v. VSecret Catalogue, in 2003, to the Fourth Circuit's decision in Louis Vuitton Malletier S.A. v. Haute Diggity Dog, LLC, in 2006, the concept of dilution has become more sophisticated and its intersection with unfair competition and First Amendment law is far from being settled. This note is an attempt to answer the questions of whether the courts, by broadly interpreting the TDRA as being designed to protect freedom …

Intellectual Property Infringement: The Question Of Advertising Injury, Hilary Ditch

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

Over the past several decades, business entities have increasingly relied on Commercial General Liability insurance for coverage and protection against the significant costs of defending against intellectual property lawsuits. However, despite this increased usage, the coverage provided for intellectual property infringement claims by Commercial General Liability insurance policies remains uncertain and indeterminate. This frustrating conclusion, reached by numerous courts, legal scholars and insurance practitioners, captures the current state of the law as it applies to coverage for intellectual property infringement claims. Consequently, many business entities seeking to apply their insurance policies to defend against intellectual property claims may face uncertainty …

Targeting Bad Behavior: Why Federal Regulators Must Treat Online Behavioral Marketing As Spyware, Heather Ng Osborn

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

The FTC has sanctioned more than a dozen companies during the past two years for privacy violations involving the improper installation of spyware software on personal computers. The spyware software allowed companies to watch and control consumers' online activities, either without the consumer's knowledge or with the consumer's knowledge but without reasonable means for the consumer to stop it. The practice of online targeted advertising raises similar privacy issues as the use of spyware software because it also involves behind-the-scenes tracking, which most consumers never notice. Online targeted advertising allows marketing companies to engage in the same behavior as companies …

Trademark Battles In A Barbie-Cyber World: Trademark Protection Of Website Domain Names And The Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act, Kiran Nasir Gore

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

Mattel's Barbie doll is more than just a trademarked toy produced for child consumption-Barbie has entered public discourse and taken on a life of her own as a cultural phenomenon. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has referred to Mattel's Barbie doll as "possibly the most famous toy in history." With this popularity, also comes unwanted attention. She has become an American icon and taken on additional meanings and status at a societal level; attracting the attention of artists, writers, academics, and commentators in a way that is beyond the scope of Mattel's trademark property rights. The tension between Mattel's …