Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

The field of telecommunications law, policy, and regulation is a subset of the larger fields of governance and regulation generally, and the regulation of media and communications in society in particular. Telecommunications law and policy generally concern the ownership and control of and access to large-scale electronic networks that connect people and businesses. These networks may be fixed (primarily involving the use of fiber and wires) or mobile (primarily involving the use of radio frequency spectrum), but that terminology is increasingly becoming antiquated as new technologies create products and services that are more difficult to define. Telecommunications law and policy generally involve the application of state power through public regulation to secure three objectives: (1) the promotion of competition in the provision of telecommunications services to end users; (2) ensuring that those services are widely available to all sectors of the public, including the poor and those living in rural areas; and (3) aiding citizens and consumers through the often complex choices associated with telecommunications networks in the face of technological change (→  Media Policy ). The story of telecommunications regulation is, first and foremost, the story of a relatively recent triumph of a set of governance values that (1) reject state ownership and monopolies, and (2) promote competition ... log in or subscribe to read full text