LAW 447

Communications Law: Broadcast and Cable Television

Law School

Recommended for route(s):

[ Litigation ] Intellectual Property: Cyberlaw & the Internet

General course Description:

Most people watch television on a regular basis (although not necessarily on TV. Television entertains, delivers the news, and provides an important forum for debating political issues. Focusing on communications law and first amendment law, this course discusses how and why regulation shapes what we see on TV and how it tries to make sure that television can fulfill its functions for society. For example, why is cable television so expensive? Why can comedians swear on cable TV, but not on broadcast TV? Should regulators care as much about violence as they do about indecency? Can we trust the market to give the audience what it wants? Will the market provide content that is in the public interest, such as local news or educational programming, or do regulators need to intervene? Should we care if media outlets are increasingly owned by a few small conglomerates? And how does the Internet affect the need for ownership regulation? The course mostly focuses on the US, but highlights developments elsewhere where appropriate.

Students may take Communications Law: Internet and Telephony and Communications Law: Broadcast and Television in any order (neither is a prerequisite for the other).

Course Style: A Substantive/Statutory course deals with law, theory, and policy in the context of a particular code or statutory scheme.

Course Frequency: Offered once a year

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