Communications Law Commons^™

Law In Popular Culture, Richard Sherwin

Articles & Chapters

No abstract provided.

Introduction: A Regulatory Regime For The Internet Age, Philip J. Weiser

Publications

No abstract provided.

The Broadband Debate, A User's Guide, Tim Wu

Faculty Scholarship

Back in the 1990s, Internet communications policy was easier. It was easy to agree that the network's growth ought not be impended by excessive government regulation. It was easy to hope that the Internet would solve all of its own problems. Yet it turned out that the success of the network was hiding strong differences of opinion. Today, the euphoria is gone, and the divide in Internet communications policy has become clear and unmistakable. It most clearly a divide between two distinct groups: the self-proclaimed "Openists" and "Deregulationists."

This divide will do much to inform the reform of the Telecommunications …

The (New?) Right Of Making Available To The Public, Jane C. Ginsburg

Faculty Scholarship

The Berne Convention 1971 Paris Act covered the right of communication to the public incompletely and imperfectly through a tangle of occasionally redundant or self-contradictory provisions on "public performance," "communication to the public," "public communication," "broadcasting," and other forms of transmission. Worse, the scope of rights depended on the nature of the work, with musical and dramatic works receiving the broadest protection, and images the least; literary works, especially those adapted into cinematographic works, lying somewhere in between. The 1996 WIPO Copyright Treaty rationalized and synthesized protection by establishing full coverage of the communication right for all protected works of …

Internet Contracting And Standard Terms In The Global Electronic Age: Perspectives For Japan, James Maxeiner

All Faculty Scholarship

This piece is intended to show Japanese law students how their own everyday experiences raise significant domestic and international legal questions. It shows that a seemingly technical matter need not be boring, but can provide an example of practical application of law internationally and of the benefits that knowledge of foreign law can bring in assisting in understanding and improving domestic law. It discusses standard terms in licenses of information and software.

Say Cheese: The Constitutionality Of State-Mandated Airtime On Public Broadcasting Stations In Wisconsin, Andrew D. Cotlar

Federal Communications Law Journal

Last year, the State of Wisconsin passed legislation which would require statechartered public broadcasting television networks to carry political advertising for candidates free of charge. In this article, Andrew Cotlar raises many concerns about the wisdom of such legislation and the impact this trend may have on public broadcasters throughout the nation. The author begins by analyzing the current position of the law on political access requirements, at both federal and state levels, and then argues that the public television stations should continue to be free to exercise substantial editorial discretion. The Article proceeds to critique the Wisconsin statute as …

Is Federal Preemption Efficient In Cellular Phone Regulation, Thomas W. Hazlett

Federal Communications Law Journal

While many recent state-level efforts to regulate various aspects of the cellular phone industry have been abandoned in favor of federal regulations, other attempts by state regulators still exist. For this reason, Thomas Hazlett proposes that federal regulation is generally more appropriate than state-level action, due to the nature of the cellular industry. After a brief history of the industry, the author analyzes the pros and cons associated with state and federal regulation. The Article then proceeds to address the efficiencies created by national networks and proposes that the fragmentation of controlling regulatory power would reduce these efficiencies. Following a …

Masthead Vol.56 No.1 (2003)

Federal Communications Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Comparative Analysis Of Telecommunications Regulations: Pitfalls And Opportunities, Mary Newcomer Williams

Federal Communications Law Journal

Book Review: Controlling Market Power in Telecommunications: Antitrust vs. Sector-specific Regulation by Damien Geradin and Michel Kerf.

In this 2003 publication, the authors comprehensively review and analyze the telecommunications regulatory structure of five nations that have achieved some success in promoting competition in telecommunications markets. The authors engage in this analysis in order to evaluate the use of telecommunications sector-specific regulation versus more general, economywide antitrust regulation to accomplish specific goals related to promoting competition and efficiency in the provision of telecommunications services. This review describes the authors’ analysis and highlights its strengths and limitations. It also offers a few …

The Role Of Efficiencies In Telecommunications Merger Review, Calvin S. Goldman Q.C., Ilene Knable Gotts, Michael E. Piaskoski

Federal Communications Law Journal

As a result of the recent telecommunications industry slowdown and the rise of globally integrated communications networks, mergers and acquisitions have become a commonplace occurrence throughout the developed world. In this article, Calvin Goldman, Michael Piaskoski and Ilene Gotts review recent merger and acquisition activity and discuss how the decisions to allow or deny “M&A” are viewed by regulatory agencies in the United States, the European Union, and Canada. The first part of this article addresses these three parties’ approaches to M&A consideration and how the concept of “efficiencies” generated by consolidation enters those deliberations. The authors then explore the …

A Round "Peg" For A Round Hole: Advocating For The Town Of Oyster Bay's Public Access Channel Restrictions, Thomas Werner

Federal Communications Law Journal

New technological devices which allow consumers to skip commercials are driving corporations to engage in alternative advertising. The development of more “organic” methods of integrating products into the content of television programs makes those advertisements much more difficult to detect. As it becomes more difficult to divorce the product being sold from the content of the program, it also becomes more difficult to determine whether or not an advertisement actually exists. Without such blatant references, these programs would be likely candidates to appear on public access channels. This poses a severe threat to the service that those channels were intended …

Editor's Note, Carl W. Butler

Federal Communications Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Telric Vs. Universal Service: A Takings Violation?, Stuart Buck

Federal Communications Law Journal

While the Telecommunications Act of 1996 has had a profound positive impact on many sectors of the communications industry in the United States, local phone companies have recently faced a serious dilemma under a provision of the Act known as TELRIC. In this article, Stuart Buck presents a current analysis of the position of the telephone company and its struggle to meet costs under the TELRIC structure. The author argues that by forcing regional phone operators to grant wholesale pricing to competitors under TELRIC, while simultaneously maintaining Universal Service requirements of reduced-rate phone access to remote customers, the local phone …

Public Utility Law, B. Paige E. Holloway

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

Booze, Drugs, And Rock & Roll: Crime During The College Years, Paul S. Gutman

ExpressO

In this Article, the author examines the predilection of college and university students towards certain types of illegal behaviors. Specifically, the Article considers the widespread instances of drug use, under-age alcohol use, and "file-sharing" using Napster and its progeny. The Article's main focus is on why such illegal behaviors are rampant among college students who might otherwise be

The Need For Revisions To The Law Of Wiretapping And Interception Of Email, Robert A. Pikowsky

Michigan Telecommunications & Technology Law Review

I argue that a person's privacy interest in his email is the same as his privacy interest in a telephone conversation. Moreover, the privacy interest in email remains unchanged regardless of whether it is intercepted in transmission or covertly accessed from the recipient's mailbox. If one accepts this assumption, it follows that the level of protection against surveillance by law enforcement officers should be the same[...] As technology continues to blur the distinction between wire and electronic communication, it becomes apparent that a new methodology must be developed in order to provide logical and consistent protection to private communications. The …

Fair And Reasonable Compensation Means Just That: How § 253 Of The Telecommunications Act Preserves Local Government Authority Over Public Rights-Of-Way, Jennifer Amanda Krebs

Washington Law Review

Section 253(c) of the 1996 Telecommunications Act expressly preserves local government authority to require fair and reasonable compensation from telecommunications providers for use of public rights-of-way. Although local government authority to require compensation for franchises is based in state law, some courts have overlooked state law when evaluating the validity of franchise fees. In addition, courts have interpreted § 253(c) narrowly, allowing local governments to recover only direct costs. This narrow interpretation of § 253(c) contradicts its text and legislative history, as well as analogous United States Supreme Court precedent. Further, this interpretation could lead to unconstitutional results, by allowing …

Monopoly Power In The Electronic Information Industry: Why, And So What?, Curt A. Hessler

ExpressO

This "law and economics" article diagnoses why monopoly power infects so many markets in the electronic media, communications, and information technology industries (collectively the "Industry"),and recommends changes to prevailing intellectual property and antitrust doctrines to remedy this problem.

The analysis focuses on a single "norm" -- the maximization of economic value, as defined by standard welfare economic theory. Identifying three distinct functions that operate throughout this otherwise diverse Industry -- authoring, publishing, and distribution -- the article notes that two economic peculiarities characterize most Industry markets: the technical feasibility of "non-rivalrous use" of digitized information products, and the frequent "creative …

Television And The Public Interest, Newton N. Minow

Federal Communications Law Journal

Speech Before the National Association of Broadcasters (May 9, 1961).

Whatever Happened To Local News?: The “Vast Wasteland” Reconsidered, Geoffrey Cowan

Federal Communications Law Journal

No abstract provided.

A Diversity Of Voices In A “Vast Wasteland”, Condace L. Pressley

Federal Communications Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Reporter's Privilege In Utah, Edward L. Carter

Brigham Young University Journal of Public Law

No abstract provided.

Justice Under Attack: The Federal Government's Assault On The Attorneyclient Privilege, Robert J. Anello

Cardozo Public Law, Policy & Ethics Journal

The article argues that the federal government, particularly through the Department of Justice, has launched a multi-faceted assault on the attorney-client privilege, undermining its protections. Recent laws, rules, and policies, such as the Attorney General's monitoring rules for inmate communications and the Department of Justice's guidelines pressuring corporations to waive privilege, threaten the confidentiality essential to the attorney-client relationship. These actions, often justified under the guise of national security and combating corporate fraud, erode constitutional rights and the adversarial system of justice.

Taint Teams And Firewalls: Thin Armor For Attorney-Client Privilege, Heidi Boghosian

Cardozo Public Law, Policy & Ethics Journal

The article argues that post-9/11 U.S. government policies, particularly the monitoring of attorney-client communications and the indictment of Lynne Stewart, significantly erode the attorney-client privilege and the Sixth Amendment right to effective counsel. These actions, justified under national security, undermine constitutional protections and set a dangerous precedent for legal representation, especially for controversial or politically sensitive cases.

Letter Of Introduction, Lauren K. Robel

Federal Communications Law Journal

No abstract provided.

The Role Of The Federal Communications Commission On The Path From The Vast Wasteland To The Fertile Plain, Kathleen Q. Abernathy

Federal Communications Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Editor's Note, Deborah J. Salons

Federal Communications Law Journal

No abstract provided.

In Memoriam Fred Rogers (1928-2003)

Federal Communications Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Minow’S Viewers: Understanding The Response To The “Vast Wasteland” Address, James L. Baughman

Federal Communications Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Revisiting The Vast Wasteland, Newton N. Minow, Fred H. Cate

Federal Communications Law Journal

No abstract provided.