Communications Law

Catalog description

This course is designed for students interested in communications law, cyber law, and entertainment/media law. It explores the communications law issues raised by the rapid changes in technology and the ensuing advent of new business models. Do conventional regulations concerning "cable" companies make sense considering the rise of digital convergence? How should the government regulate "telephone" companies when copper wires provide access to the Internet and the vast array of content it provides? Is "net neutrality" a viable approach to solving some of these problems? To help students answer these and other questions in this complex and ever-changing field, this class explores the technology, economics, law, and policy of modern communications and how they are applied to the major relevant industries including broadcast, cable, telephony (landline and wireless), satellite, and the Internet.