Communications Policy and the Public Interest
Subtitle: The Telecommunications Act of 1996
Publisher: The Guilford Press
Published: January 15, 1999
Language: eng
Format: Paperback
Number of pages: 323
ISBN-13: 9781572304253
Subjects: Law as it applies to other professions; Postal & telecommunications industries; c 1990 to c 2000; Public Policy - General; Political Science; Legal Reference / Law Profession; Telecommunications Act of 1996; Politics/International Relations; Telecommunications; Public interest; Communication; Communications; Language Arts & Disciplines : Communication; Law / Communications; Political Science / Public Policy; Political Science : Public Policy - General; United States.; Public Affairs & Administration; Telecommunication policy; United States
First sentence: Telecommunications policy is a calculated government intervention in the structures of businesses that offer communications and media services.
Description: The passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 inaugurated a new and highly volatile era in telecommunications. The first major overhaul of U.S. communications law since 1934--when no one had a television set, a cordless phone, or a computer--the Act was spurred into being by broad shifts in technology use. Equally important, this book shows, the new law reflects important changes in our notions of the purpose of communications regulation and how it should be deployed. Focusing on the evolution of the concept of the public interest, Aufderheide examines how and why the legislation was developed, provides a thematic analysis of the Act itself, and charts its intended and unintended effects in business and policy. An abridged version of the Act is included, as are the Supreme Court decision that struck down one of its clauses, the Communications Decency Act, and a variety of pertinent speeches and policy arguments. Readers are also guided to a range of organizations and websites that offer legal updates and policy information. --Publisher.