Communications Policy and the Public Interest The Telecommunications Act of 1996

by Aufderheide, Patricia A.

• ISBN13: 9781572304185
• ISBN10: 1572304189
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1999-01-15
• Publisher: The Guilford Press

Summary

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.

 

Finalist, McGannon Center Award for Social and Ethical Relevance in Communication Policy Research

 

Author Biography

Patricia Aufderheide, PhD, School of Communication, American University, Washington, DC .

Table of Contents

Introduction	1	(4)
Chapter 1 BACKGROUND	5	(32)
Chapter 2 THE SHAPING OF THE 1996 ACT	37	(24)
Chapter 3 OVERVIEW OF THE ACT	61	(19)
Chapter 4 AFTER THE ACT	80	(24)
Chapter 5 THE PUBLIC INTEREST BEYOND THE ACT	104	(9)
BIBLIOGRAPHIC RESOURCES	113	(30)
REFERENCES	113	(11)
ANNOTATED GUIDE TO ANALYSES OF THE ACT	124	(7)
RESOURCES FOR ACTIVE CITIZENS	131	(12)
APPENDICES	143	(166)
Government Documents	143	(78)
Appendix A THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS ACT OF 1996	143	(40)
Dean Thomas Krattenmaker
Appendix B U.S. SUPREME COURT, RENO, ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES, ET AL. V. AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION ET AL.	183	(38)
Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
Position Papers on Regulation and the Public Interest	221	(62)
Appendix C SERVING THE COMMUNITY A Public-Interest Vision of the National Information Infrastructure	221	(16)
Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility
Appendix D SEVEN PUBLIC INTEREST PRINCIPLES	237	(3)
Telecommunications Policy Roundtable
Appendix E CYBERSPACE AND THE AMERICAN DREAM A Magna Carta for the Knowledge Age	240	(17)
Esther Dyson
George Gilder
George Keyworth
Alvin Toffler
Appendix F TECHNOREALISM Overview	257	(4)
Appendix G WHY GOVERNMENT IS THE SOLUTION, AND NOT THE PROBLEM	261	(5)
Gigi B. Sohn, Executive Director, Media Access Project
Appendix H INTERVIEW WITH AN UMPIRE	266	(17)
Michael Katz, Chief Economist, Federal Communications Commission
FCC Speeches	283	(26)
Appendix I THE HARD ROAD AHEAD An Agenda for the FCC in 1997	283	(11)
Reed E. Hundt, Chairman, Federal Communications Commission
Appendix J THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL VS. THE FOG Deregulation vs. the Legal Culture	294	(7)
Reed E. Hundt, Chairman, Federal Communications Commission
Appendix K REMARKS BY WILLIAM KENNARD Chairman, Federal Communications Commission	301	(8)
Index	309	(14)
About the Author	323