Rapid changes in communication technologies are straining the existing system of electronic media regulation. Despite the increasing pace of technological change, the electronic media continue to be regulated under a well-established set of guiding principles. Principles such as the First Amendment, the public interest, the marketplace of ideas, diversity, competition, localism and universal service continue to serve as the primary objectives for policymakers and as the focal points for contemporary policy controversies. This volume focuses on these principles, examining their underlying motivations and assumptions, their central components, their different interpretive approaches and their continued applicability in a rapidly changing electronic media environment. Central to this book's analysis is the need for more thorough and rigorous application of these principles as tools for policy analysis, rather than primarily as rhetorical devices for justifying policy outcomes. Toward this end, the book explicitly links each of these principles with communication policy analysis and illustrates how the dynamics of the policymaking process undermine the analytical utility of the foundation principles.

Table of Contents:
Part 1 Introduction: Plan of the Book. Part 2 Foundation Principles and Communications Policymaking: The Unique Nature of Communications Regulation; The Extended Potential Influence of Communications Policy Decisions; Communications Regulation as Both Economic and Social Regulation; The ""Mixed"" Nature of Individual Policy Decisions; Policy Principles and Policy Analysis; A Model of the Foundation Principles. Part 3 The First Amendment: Functions of the First Amendment; The Liberty/Self-Fulfillment Function; The Advancement of Knowledge/Discovery of Truth Function; The Enhancing the Democratic Process Function; The Checking Government Power Function; The Community Stability Function; The Self-Realization/Autonomy of Consciousness Function; Observations; Individual Versus Collective Approaches to the First Amendment; The Individualists Interpretation of the First Amendment; The Collectivist Interpretation of the First Amendment; The First Amendment and Communications Policymaking; Toward a New First Amendment Balancing Test. Part 4 The Public Interest: Origins of the Phrase; Levels of Public Interest; The Public Interest at the Conceptual Level; The Public Interst at the Applicational Level. Part 5 The Marketplace of Ideas: Origins of the Metaphor; The Marketplace of Ideas Metaphor in FCC Decision Making; Methodology; Results. Part 6 Diversity: The Marketplace of Ideas and Diversity; The Dimensions of Diversity; Source Diversity; Content Diversity; Exposure Diversity. Part 7 Competition: Geographic Markets; Product Markets; Assessing Competition in Media Markets; Competition Measures; Competition Assessments - Multiple Techniques - Diverse Results. Part 8 Universal Service: Three Components of the Universal Service Principle; The Universal Service Policy Imperative; Universal Services; The Means of Providing Universal Service. Part 9 Localism: Rationales for Localism; Political Rationales for Localism Policies; Cultural Rationales for Localism Policies; The Localism Principle in Practice; Local Programming as Point of Origin; Moving Beyond the Point of Origin; Discussion; Reconceptualizing Localism in the New Media Environment; Localism and Community. Part 10 Linking Principles with Process - the Dynamics of Communications Policymaking: The Communications Policymaking Process - a Principal-Agent Perspective; Private Sector Tier; Judicial Tier; Political Tier; Bureaucratic Tier; Integrating Process and Policy. Part 11 The Federal Communications Commission and the Limitations of Communications Policy Analysis: ""Private Sector"" Stakeholder Monitoring and FCC Decision Making -a Case Study of Broadcast Policymaking; Methodology; Results; The Analytical Capacity Within the FCC; Policy Analysis Within the Federal Government; Policy Analysis Within the Federal Communications Commission. Part 12 Toward an Expanded Analytical Approach to Communications Policymaking: Toward an Expanded Analytical Approach to Communications Policy Issues.