Spring 2000 Free Speech, Telecommunications and Cyberspace

Free Speech, Telecommunications and Cyberspace

 

Syllabus

Note:  All references to page numbers refer to Thomas G. Krattenmaker, Telecommunications Law and Policy (2d edition 1998). References to the Supplemental Materials contained in this packet are noted as “Supp.”

 

Part I: Telecommunications Law

1. Introduction: Spectrum Allocation Policies

  • Miami Herald Publishing Co. v. Tornillo, pp. 148-50

  • Red Lion v. FCC and Notes, pp. 150-56
  • Conciatore, FCC wins injunction against microradio leader Dunifer, Supp., pp. 6-7
  • Low Power Radio, Supp, pp. 2-5
  • FCC Approves New Non-Commercial Low Power FM Radio Service, Supp., pp. 1A-1C (pages immediately following syllabus and table of contents).
  • Chapter One: The Broadcast Industry and its Regulators, pp. 3-34 (read as background)
  • Chapter Two: Spectrum Allocation, pp. 35-74

 

2. The Licensing Process

  • Chapter Three: Criteria for Evaluating Broadcast Industry Performance, pp. 85-92

  • Chapter Four: Licensing Broadcasters, pp. 93-95
  • In Re Simon Geller and Notes, pp. 123-128
  • Serafyn v. FCC, Supp., pp. 8-19

 

3. and 4. Political Broadcasting and Mandated Access Rules

A. The Fairness Doctrine

  • Introduction, pp. 147-48

  • 1985 Report on the Fairness Doctrine and Notes, pp. 156-72
  • CBS v. Democratic National Committee, Supp., pp. 20-25
  • Section II, Gore Commission Report: The Public Interest Standard in Television Broadcasting, Supp, pp. 98-123

B. Equal Time and Equal Opportunities

  • Note on Political Broadcasting, pp. 172-74

  • Notes and Kennedy for President Committee v. FCC, Supp., pp. 26-31
  • Notes and CBS v. FCC, Supp., pp. 31-34
  • In re Complaint of Ross Perot against ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox Broadcasting Co. (October 3, 1996), Supp., pp. 35-46

C. Personal Attacks

  • In Letter of Ms. Loretta Smith, Supp., pp. 47-48

  • In re Personal Attack Complaint of Bree Walker Lampley, et. al., Supp., pp. 49-52
  • 47 CFR §§ 73.1920-41 (1997), Supp., pp. 53-56
  • Note on Modification of the Personal Attack Rules, Supp., pp. 57-58

 

5. and 6. Digital Television and Public Interest Obligations

  • Chapter Seven: Overview Case Study– High Definition Television, pp. 321-339

  • Digital Television and Public Television, Supp., pp. 59-64
  • Gore Report on Oligations of HDTV Broadcasters, Supp., pp. 65-242

 

7. Public Broadcasting

  • Notes on Noncommercial Broadcasting, Supp., pp. 243-244

  • Accuracy in Media v. FCC and Notes, Supp., pp. 244-251
  • FCC v. League of Women Voters and Notes, Supp., pp. 251-266
  • Muir v. Alabama Educational Television Commission and Notes, Supp., pp. 266-284
  • Arkansas Educational Television Commission v. Forbes and Notes, Supp., pp. 284-299
  • Knights of the Ku Klux Klan v. Bennett, Supp., pp. 300-304

 

8. Broadcast Indecency and The Safe Harbor Rule

  • FCC v. Pacifica Foundation and Notes, pp. 175-82

  • Sable Communications v. FCC and Notes, pp. 480-488
  • In Re Pacifica Foundation and Notes, pp. 201-205
  • FCC Asked to Punish Crude Shock Jocks, Supp, pp. 316-317
  • ACT III (en banc opinion) and Notes, pp. 182-201
  • Notes and Becker v. FCC, Supp., pp. 318-327

 

9. Television Violence

  • Notes and Olivia N. v. National Broadcasting Co., Supp., pp. 327-334

  • Krattenmaker and Powe, Regulating Broadcast Programming, ch 5, Supp., pp. 335-354
  • Calvin and Hobbes, pp. 242-245

 

10. The V-Chip

  • Balkin, Media Filters, the V-Chip, and the Foundations of Broadcast Regulation, pp. 245-257

  • Meese v. Keene, Supp., pp. 355-357
  • Commission Finds Industry Video Programming Rating System Acceptable, Supp., pp. 358-364
  • Notes on V-Chip Rating System, Supp., pp. 365-367

 

11. Children’s Television

  • Cases and Notes on Children’s Television, pp. 205-230

 

12. and 13. Cable Television and Must Carry Rules

A. Introduction

  • Chapter Eleven: Early Regulatory Responses to Cable, and Chapter Twelve, Regulation of Cable, 1980-92, pp. 507-536 (background)

  • Notes on Telephone Regulation and Natural Monopoly, pp. 343-352 (background)

B. Must Carry Rules

  • Chapter Thirteen: Broadcast-Cable Relationships, pp. 537-555

  • Turner Broadcasting v. FCC (Turner I), pp. 555-572
  • Turner Broadcasting v. FCC (Turner II), pp. 572-596

C. Must Carry in the Age of Digital Television

  • Notes and Carriage of the Transmissions of Digital Television Broadcast Stations, Supp., pp. 368-385

 

14. Content Regulation of Cable: Mandated Access– PEG and Leased Access Channels

  • Midwest Video Corp. v. FCC (Midwest Video II) and Notes, pp. 597-600

  • Notes on Rate Regulation of Cable Service, pp. 601-604
  • 47 U.S.C. §§ 531-32, pp. 746-48
  • Notes on Access Channels, Supp., pp. 386-390
  • Group W. Cable, Inc., v. City of Santa Cruz and Notes, pp. 625-636
  • Time Warner Entertainment Co. v. FCC, (Sections I, IV, and V of the opinion) Supp., pp. 391-399

 

15. Content Regulation of Cable: Indecency

  • Cruz v. Ferre and Notes, pp. 605-608

  • Denver Area Educational Telecommunications Consortium v. FCC and Notes, pp. 608-623

 

16. Direct Broadcast Satellite

  • Time Warner Entertainment Co. v. FCC, (Section VI) Supp., pp. 399-402

  • Time Warner Entertainment Co. v. FCC (dissent from rehearing en banc), Supp, pp. 403-407
  • In Re Implementation of Section 25 of the CTCPA: Direct Broadcast Satellite Public Interest Obligations, Supp., pp. 408-470
  • Davis, Squishing Channels, Supp, pp. 471-473
  • Albiniak, Sat Story, Supp, pp. 474-479

 

Part II– Freedom of Speech in Cyberspace

17. Dangerous Speech on the Internet

  • Suicide Web Site Sparks Controversy, Supp., pp. 501-502

  • Raysman and Brown, Extreme Speech on the Internet, Supp., pp. 503-506
  • Proposed 18 U.S.C. § 1639, Supp., pp. 507-508
  • Rice v. Palladin Enterprises, Supp., pp. 509-541
  • Godwin, The Net Effect, Supp., pp. 542-543
  • Goodale, Can Planned Parenthood Silence the Pro Life Web Site?, Supp. pp. 544-545
  • Planned Parenthood v. ACLA (The Nuremberg Files Case), Supp., pp. 546-568

 

18. Collateral Censorship and Internet Service Providers

  • Balkin, Note on Collateral Censorship, Supp., pp. 569-573

  • Zeran v. AOL, Supp., pp. 574-582
  • Blumenthal v. Drudge, Supp., pp. 583-596
  • Digital Millenium Copyright Act (excerpts), Supp., pp. 597-605

19. Private Censorship by ISP’s

20. Broadband and the Debate over Cable Access for Internet Service Providers

21. Links and Rights to Link

22. Indecency on the Internet

 

23. Designing Internet Filters

24. Government Mandated Filtering in Libraries and Schools