Topics

Advertising

A look at how companies try to reach potential customers.

Free, over-the-air television and radio; community-based, low-power FM radio stations; public radio and television; and the obligations of licensees to serve the public interest. A key principle of federal communications law is that in exchange for free use of the public airwaves broadcasters agree to take actions to benefit the public. These principles are enshrined in the Radio Act of 1927 and the Communications Act of 1934 in the mandate that "broadcasting serve the public interest, convenience and necessity."

Subtopics:

• Low Power Radio

• Multicasting

• Public Broadcasting

• Public Interest Obligations

• Radio

• Television

Cable

Pay-TV services delivered by companies like Comcast and Time Warner. "Must-carry" refers to requirments that cable operators provide the signals of local TV broadcasters over their systems.

Subtopics:

• 70/70

• A La Carte

• Must-carry

• PEG

Children and Media

Exposure to educational television has been shown to have positive effects on the social, intellectual, and educational development of children. Is it possible to find truly educational content on broadcast television? Articles below deal with 1) television broadcasters' obligation to provide educational programming for children, 2) efforts to shield children from indecenct programming, 3) advertising aimed at children and 4) children and violence.

Community Media

Court case

Cyberwarfare

The use of computers and the Internet in conducting warfare in cyberspace.

Digital Content

Digital Divide

Disabilities

Diversity

Education technology

Election 2008

With communications policy playing a role in presidential politics, below please find a running list of stories we've summarized in our headlines service. If you are aware of coverage we've not included below, please contact us at headlines AT (@) benton DOT (.) org

Elections and Media

A look at the various media used to reah and inform voters during elections.

Emergency Communications

The Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, Huricane Katrina and other man-made and natural disasters often reveal flaws in emergency communications systems. Here we attempt to chart the effects of disasters on our telecommunications and media communications systems -- and efforts by policymakers to stregthen these systems.

FCC Reform

Congress is investigating Federal Communications Commission regulatory procedures to determine if they are being conducted in a fair, open, efficient, and transparent manner. Follow the debate here.

Government & Communications

Health and Media

Indecency Regulation

Internet/Broadband

Subtopics:

• Municipal Networks

• Network Neutrality

• Universal Broadband

Journalism

Labor

Localism

Media Ownership

Subtopics:

• Private equity

Policymakers

Quotes

From time to time, Headlines highlights quotes from communications policymakers and observers. Below is a collection of those quotes beginning in September 2006. (Feel free to use these at cocktail and dinner parties.)