Communications Policy and the Public Interest: The Telecommunications Act of 1996 [Paperback]

Patricia A. Aufderheide PhD (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 1999 | ISBN-10: 1572304251 | ISBN-13: 978-1572304253 | Edition: 1

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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book offers a substantial and thorough guide to the communications legislation that defines our new media world. In clear and concise language, Aufderheide brings us up to speed on what the law is today and what important and vital problems remain. Her book ought to be required reading for everyone who is struggling to make sense of the current situation, from 'inside the beltway' policy makers to average citizens. Simply one of the most important books ever published on communications law and policy." --Douglas Gomery, Professor, College of Journalism, University of Maryland, Columnist, AMERICAN JOURNALISM REVIEW, "The Economics of Television"

"This book achieves the impossible--making legislative history readable. Drawing upon her 'parallel life' as one of the nation's leading pop culture critics, Aufderheide turns the story of the 1996 Telecommunications Act into a book that is actually fun to read." --Andrew Jay Schwartzman, President, Media Access Project, Washington, DC

"Patricia Aufderheide has produced a terrifically useful volume on the Telecommunications Act of 1996. The volume reprints the Act itself as well as several pointed commentaries on telecommunications policy and the public interest. Best of all is Aufderheide's overview of the Act and the politics of its passage. She situates the Act in its various contexts--technological, regulatory, political, economic, legal--and incisively examines the politics of the Act's passage. This is an outstanding volume for teaching purposes." --Robert B. Horwitz, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Communication, University of California, San Diego

"Patricia Aufderheide puts a human face on a daunting, technologically complex piece of legislation. Deep within the mystifying jargon of the telecommunications industry, the author finds those interstices where the public interest still exists and needs nurturing. A compelling story is told which places recent legislative developments in their historical and regulatory context. For libraries that serve law students and graduate students the book will be a useful navigational and reference device." --Monroe Price, Law Professor, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, New York, Co-Director of the Programme in Comparative Media Law and Policy, Oxford University

From the Back Cover

This book offers a substantial and thorough guide to the communications legislation that defines our new media world. In clear and concise language, Aufderheide brings us up to speed on what the law is today and what important and vital problems remain. Her book ought to be required reading for everyone who is struggling to make sense of the current situation, from inside the beltway' policy makers to average citizens. Simply one of the most important books ever published on communications law and policy (Douglas Gomery, College of Journalism, University of Maryland).

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 323 pages
• Publisher: The Guilford Press; 1 edition (January 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572304251
• ISBN-13: 978-1572304253
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,417,998 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Center director Patricia Aufderheide is University Professor in the School of Communication at American University in Washington, D.C. She is the co-author with Peter Jaszi of Reclaiming Fair Use: How to Put Balance Back in Copyright (University of Chicago Press, July 2011), and author of, among others, Documentary: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford, 2007), The Daily Planet (University of Minnesota Press, 2000), and of Communications Policy in the Public Interest (Guilford Press, 1999). She heads the Fair Use and Free Speech research project at the Center, in conjunction with Prof. Peter Jaszi in American University's Washington College of Law. She has been a Fulbright and John Simon Guggenheim fellow and has served as a juror at the Sundance Film Festival among others. She has received numerous journalism and scholarly awards, including the Preservation and Scholarship award in 2006 from the International Documentary Association, a career achievement award in 2008 from the International Digital Media and Arts Association, and the Woman of Vision Award from Women in Film and Video (DC) in 2010. Aufderheide serves on the board of directors of Kartemquin Films, a leading independent social documentary production company, and and on the editorial boards of a variety of publications, including Communication Law and Policy and In These Times newspaper. She has served on the board of directors of the Independent Television Service, which produces innovative television programming for underserved audiences under the umbrella of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and on the film advisory board of the National Gallery of Art. She received her Ph.D. in history from the University of Minnesota.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Communications Policy and the Public Interest, April 10, 2000

By 

Catherine McDowell (Richmond, VA: USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Communications Policy and the Public Interest: The Telecommunications Act of 1996 (Paperback)

I found this book to be an easy way to understand the policy and legislation passed by congress on the Telecommunications Act of 1996.

This book helped to explain exactly what came out of this Act and where the act came from. It also gave a great understanding of where communications stands in America and what our main goals for the communications industry are.

It was an excellent way to view what the gov't wants out of the communications industry and what the future holds for the consumer.

Great Buy!

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The Worst of Liberal Journalism, February 28, 2006

By 

Hans Boxer (Washington, D.C.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Communications Policy and the Public Interest: The Telecommunications Act of 1996 (Paperback)

This book is a problem. It presents itself as book in the public interest, but it really does a disservice to the public. Gigantic corporations reaping billions of dollars off propaganda machines of immense proportion--this story should NOT be humanized or told in such simple form. Liberal journalists are the ones who will faithfully detail how and why your flesh is being flayed off your body by the corporate-government elite. Thank you, very much. By presenting all sides, we get no ground to stand upon, no point of view. We get some critical remarks tossed off next to corporate jargon about competition. Problem is, Aufderheide should have long agon seen beyond such a lame category as "competition." If you want to see a real journalist in action, watch Bill Moyers examination of the 1996 telecommunications act in a video you can probably get at your library.