Communications policy as been a fertile area for testing theories of regulation, subsidy and incentives, free speech, political participation, and the public interest. The capacities of new communications technology have changed markedly since much of the governing legislation in the communications field was written. Such a change is likely to continue and have considerable impact on specific communications sectors and in communications policy. This two volume set of analyses undertakes a review of telecommunications policy in transition--of actions taken and not taken, of goals pursued or ignored, of the adequacy of policy vehicles and their strengths and weaknesses. The authors evaluate three categories of policy problems: those of concept, scope, and judgment in communications policy; those specific to media industries and forces affecting them; and those concerning wider public policy concerns intersecting with communication.

During this era of construction of the information superhighway, this volume presents a prudent analysis of the pros and cons of continuing state regulation of telecommunications. While interested parties either attack or defend state regulation, careful scholarly analysis is required to strike the appropriate balance of regulatory federalism. Focusing on regulation in the 1990s, it uses a positive political economy perspective to analyze enduring state-federal conflicts and to weigh the justifications and explanations for continuing state telecommunications regulation, or for changing its structure. It also considers normative concerns and makes recommendations about how to improve telecommunications policy. Seriously concerned with assessing the problems surrounding cost burdens for different categories of consumers, market entry for different firms, economic growth and the information infrastructure, global competitiveness, and control over information, this volume attempts to provide answers to the following specific questions: * How are states regulating telecommunications in the brave new world of global markets, fiber optics, and digital technology? * Do states vary significantly in their regulatory models? * How are the politics of state and federal regulation different? * Would a different federal-state relationship better serve national telecommunications goals in the future? To tackle these critical questions, the scholarly perspectives of economists, lawyers, political scientists, and telecommunications consultants and practitioners are employed.

New Directions in Communications Policy is a collection of original essays by some of the nation's most prominent law and economics scholars. The essays address the most topical, controversial, and important communications law and policy topics. In the midst of remarkable technological, marketplace, and regulatory changes, the authors discuss Internet regulation and net neutrality, mass media and broadband policy, the First Amendment and the Fairness Doctrine, universal service subsidies, institutional reform of the FCC, and continuing problems with the implementation of the landmark Telecommunications Act of 1996. In addition to providing the context necessary to understand the topics discussed, every essay contains specific reform recommendations. These forward-looking recommendations comprise a practical guide for policymakers as they struggle to update communications policies to conform to the realities of the digital age. And the essays comprise a rich literature for students exploring the ins-and-outs of communications policy. The contributors, each of whom is nationally recognized as a leading expert on the subject of their essays, are: Gerald Brock; Diane Disney; Richard Epstein; Randolph May; John Mayo; Bruce Owen; Glen Robinson; James Speta; Dennis Weisman; Steven Wildman; and Christopher Yoo.

The Communication Yearbook annuals originally published between 1977 and 2009 publish diverse, state-of-the-discipline literature reviews that advance knowledge and understanding of communication systems, processes, and impacts across the discipline. Topics dealt with include Communication as Process, Research Methodology in Communication, Communication Effects, Taxonomy of Communication and European Communication Theory, Information Systems Division, Mass Communication Research, Mapping the Domain of Intercultural Communication, Public Relations, Feminist Scholarship, Communication Law and Policy, Visual Communication, Communication and Cross-Sex Friendships Across the Life Cycle, Television Programming and Sex Stereotyping, InterCultural Communication Training, Leadership and Relationships, Media Performance Assessment, Cognitive Approaches to Communication.

This volume offers state-of-the-art communication research, representing media, interpersonal, intercultural and other areas of communication. It is an important reference on current research for scholars and students in the social sciences.