Preview

This teachable work provides a comprehensive introduction to the technology, economics, law, and policy of modern communications. The book is organized by analytic concepts instead of current industry lines, which are constantly made out-of-date by technological convergence. The basic ideas—power, entry, pricing, bad content, good content, consolidation, access, and classification—equip students with a durable and yet flexible intellectual structure that can help parse a complex and ever-changing field.

Replete with concise technological and legal summaries, the text provides carefully edited opinions and FCC reports. It provides “just-in-time” delivery of the text of statutes and regulations so that students get accustomed to parsing statutory material as they analyze legal questions. Technical diagrams, flowcharts, and mind maps also help students navigate between minutiae and the big picture.

This edition covers all major communications industries including broadcast radio and TV, cable TV, DBS, wireline and mobile telephony, and the Internet. Cutting edge issues such as Voice-Over-IP (VOIP), IPTV and the Open Internet (“net neutrality”) are also discussed. A useful Research Appendix provides the definitive guide on how to research communications law with clear explanations of the FCC rulemaking process and the documents generated along the way.

With myriad refinements and substantial additions, this edition maintains the conceptual clarity of the first three editions while improving on lean coverage, currency, and teachability. An updated companion website provides links to useful resources from government, industry, and other stakeholders.

If you are looking to teach a complete communications class, and not just a cyberlaw or Internet seminar, this casebook provides the most pedagogically coherent choice.

Sample Pages

If you’re interested in the Casebook, here are some preview documents from the 4th edition (2012) (available for Spring 2012 adoption).

For Faculty

Review Copy + Teacher’s Manual

An extensive Teacher’s Manual for the 4th edition is available from Foundation.  You can order this and a complimentary copy of the Casebook from Foundation’s website.

Change Log

Password Protected Site

If you are a faculty member who has adopted my text, feel free to contact me to gain access to some additional electronic teaching materials on a protected page.

To authenticate, please send me an e-mail.  (You can cut and paste the following text into the body of the e-mail, then fill in the requested information.)

  • name:
  • school:
  • e-mail:
  • phone:
  • authentication information:
    • URL to official law school web page that confirms the above email address, or
    • e-mail or phone number of dean’s office to confirm your status

Adoptions

Since its initial release in 2001, the casebook has been used at the following institutions:

  1. Arkansas, Little Rock (William H. Bowen) School of Law
  2. Berkeley School of Law (Boalt)
  3. Brigham Young University School of Law
  4. Brooklyn Law School
  5. UC Davis School of Law
  6. UCLA School of Law
  7. Capital University Law School
  8. Cardozo Law School
  9. Catholic U. of America, Columbus School of Law
  10. Chicago-Kent College of Law
  11. Colorado State Univ.*
  12. Columbia Law School
  13. Florida, Levin College of Law
  14. Franklin Pierce Law Center
  15. Grand Valley
  16. Georgetown Law Center
  17. Harvard Law School
  18. Hofstra Univ. School of Law
  19. Houston
  20. Indiana Bloomington
  21. ITT-Chicago Kent School of Law
  22. Univ. of Kentucky School of Journalism & Telecommunications*
  23. Liverpool Law School, Univ. of Liverpool
  24. Loyola Univ. of New Orleans Law School
  25. Miami School of Law
  26. Michigan State
  27. Mississippi School of Law
  28. Univ. of Nebraska School of Law
  29. NYU University*
  30. Northwestern School of Law of Lewis & Clark College
  31. Oregon School of Law
  32. Pace Law School
  33. Penn State Dickinson School of Law
  34. Pepperdine Law School
  35. Salmon P. Chase College of Law, Northern Kentucky Univ.
  36. San Diego School of Law
  37. St. Louis Univ. School of Law
  38. Seattle University School of Law
  39. Southern Methodist Univ. Dedman School of Law
  40. Southwestern Univ. School of Law
  41. Stanford Law School
  42. Thomas Cooley
  43. Washington College of Law, American University
  44. Wayne State
  45. Webster Univ, Business Management (Denver, CO)*

I especially invite new teachers to consider using this teachable casebook. The Teacher’s Manual is extensive, and I am always responsive to any questions and suggestions.

* If you’re not teaching at a law school, you’re not alone. The starred entries indicate non-law school adoptions.