Since the last edition of the book was published, there have been a number of important developments in the telecommunications industry. Telecommunications Law and Regulation takes these changes into account, including an examination of the EU New Regulatory Framework, as well as the establishment of the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC). There are also new chapters on spectrum management (radio frequencies), and consumer protection rules. The access and interconnection chapter addresses the issues surrounding the high capacity broadband widely provided by Next Generation Networks.The chapter on licensing and authorisation has been refocused to reflect the increasing regulatory focus on the mobile sector. The chapter on regulating content has also been significantly restructured and revised to reflect the changes in how we consume content. Written by leading experts, it is essential reading for legal practitioners and academics involved in the telecommunications industry.

Since the revolution in modern telecommunications that followed the invention of the telegraph, telecommunication networks have provided channels for the fast delivery of communications across national borders. This transnational nature of telecommunication networks have led to the establishment of international regulatory regimes on the subject. On the other hand, developing countries consider regional economic integration as a major strategy for promoting trade and development, telecommunications have been seen within this context as a strategic tool for facilitating regional economic integration. This has also led to the establishment of regional telecommunication regulatory regimes that aim to promote regional integration and regulatory harmonization. This book discusses telecommunication regimes established by international and regional organizations such as the United Nations, the International Telecommunication Union, the World Trade Organization, the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States, and the Southern African Development Community, among a number of others. It will be relevant to policy makers, regulators, lawyers, law students, investors and telecommunication operators, as well as any person interested in international and African regional telecommunication regimes.

This book engages in advanced analysis of the key constitutional, administrative, and economic issues that arise in the various telecommunications settings. The new edition will continue the tradition of the first by offering a comprehensive yet lively and accessible introduction to the various regulatory regimes applicable to broadcast radio, broadcast television, cable television, all forms of telephony, and the Internet. The second edition will contain discussions and journal excerpts in addition to excerpts from important legal materials ? the cases and FCC documents that define regulatory policy today ? designed to help readers understand the technologies, economic principles, and business strategies that undergird the modern telecommunications market. The authors have streamlined much of the older material, resulting in a more compact casebook that will focus the bulk of its materials on current controversies and modern regulatory strategies. Summaries and previews at the start of each set of readings still help students know what to read for and questions at the end of each set still encourage students to think critically about those materials.

After decades of liberalization of the telecommunications industry around the world and technological convergence that allows for increasing competition, sector-specific regulation of telecommunications has been on the decline. As a result, the telecommunications industry stands in the middle of a debate that calls for either a total deregulation of access to broadband infrastructures or a separation of infrastructure from service delivery. This book proposes new approaches to dealing with the current and future issues of regulation of telecommunication markets on both a regional and a global scale. This volume represents a valuable compendium of ideas regarding global trends in the telecommunications industry that focus on market and regulatory issues and company strategies. With an international cast of contributors, Regulation and the Evolution of the Global Telecommunications Industry also provides insight into topics including: mobile Internet development, structural function and separation, global experiences with next generation networks, technology convergence and the role of regulation, and the regulatory impact on the balance between static and dynamic efficiencies. The empirical evidence and experiences presented here illustrate the diversity of thoughts and research that characterize this important area of academic and business research. Thus, it will be a critical reference for scholars and students of regulatory economics, policy and finance and researchers and administrators of the telecom industry.

The Nigerian telecommunications industry has continued to grow in a phenomenal manner following market liberalization reforms that commenced in the 1990s. As of 2017, the telecommunications industry was one of the fastest-growing economic sectors in Nigeria and the fourth largest contributor to the country’s Gross Domestic Product. The telecommunications industry, however, remains a highly technical and naturally dynamic industry that has not been a usual area for legal research in developing countries such as Nigeria. This book bridges that gap in knowledge by providing an analysis of the legal and policy instruments that regulate the industry. It comprises eleven chapters that discuss the historical evolution of telecommunications and its regulation; the development of the Nigerian telecommunications industry from 1886 to 2017; the legal basis for the regulation of the industry; the licensing and duties of service providers; the regulation of network infrastructure; the protection of consumers; the regulation of competition, interconnection, universal access, and environmental protection; and the resolution of industry disputes. This book will be useful to policy makers, legislators, regulators, lawyers, law students, investors, operators, and consumers, as well as any person interested in the Nigerian telecommunications industry.

Controlling market power is a crucial issue in liberalised telecommunications markets. By comparatively analysing five countries, this book explores how the regulatory framework should be designed.

Openness and competition sparked major advances in Chinese industry. Recent policy reversals emphasizing indigenous innovation seem likely to disappoint.

Advancement of telecommunications and information infrastructure occurs largely through private investment. The government affects the rate and direction of this progress through regulation and public investment. This book presents a range of positions and perspectives on those two classes of policy mechanism, providing a succinct analysis followed by papers prepared by experts in telecommunications policy and applications.

The passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 inaugurated a new and highly volatile era in telecommunications. The first major overhaul of U.S. communications law since 1934--when no one had a television set, a cordless phone, or a computer--the Act was spurred into being by broad shifts in technology use. Equally important, this book shows, the new law reflects important changes in our notions of the purpose of communications regulation and how it should be deployed. Focusing on the evolution of the concept of the public interest, Aufderheide examines how and why the legislation was developed, provides a thematic analysis of the Act itself, and charts its intended and unintended effects in business and policy. An abridged version of the Act is included, as are the Supreme Court decision that struck down one of its clauses, the Communications Decency Act, and a variety of pertinent speeches and policy arguments. Readers are also guided to a range of organizations and websites that offer legal updates and policy information. Finalist, McGannon Center Award for Social and Ethical Relevance in Communication Policy Research