Untitled

Free Speech, Telecommunications and Cyberspace

Syllabus

Prof. Jack M. Balkin

Note: All references to page numbers refer to Thomas G. Krattenmaker, Telecommunications Law and Policy (2d edition 1998). References to the Supplemental Materials contained in this packet are noted as "Supp."

Part I: Telecommunications Law

1. Introduction: Spectrum Allocation Policies

Miami Herald Publishing Co. v. Tornillo, pp. 148-50
Red Lion v. FCC and Notes, pp. 150-56
Conciatore, FCC wins injunction against microradio leader Dunifer, Supp., pp. 6-7
Low Power Radio, Supp, pp. 2-5
FCC Approves New Non-Commercial Low Power FM Radio Service, Supp., pp. 1A-1C (pages immediately following syllabus and table of contents).
Chapter One: The Broadcast Industry and its Regulators, pp. 3-34 (read as background)
Chapter Two: Spectrum Allocation, pp. 35-74

2. The Licensing Process

Chapter Three: Criteria for Evaluating Broadcast Industry Performance, pp. 85-92
Chapter Four: Licensing Broadcasters, pp. 93-95
In Re Simon Geller and Notes, pp. 123-128
Serafyn v. FCC, Supp., pp. 8-19

3. and 4. Political Broadcasting and Mandated Access Rules

A. The Fairness Doctrine

Introduction, pp. 147-48
1985 Report on the Fairness Doctrine and Notes, pp. 156-72
CBS v. Democratic National Committee, Supp., pp. 20-25
Section II, Gore Commission Report: The Public Interest Standard in Television Broadcasting, Supp, pp. 98-123

B. Equal Time and Equal Opportunities

Note on Political Broadcasting, pp. 172-74
Notes and Kennedy for President Committee v. FCC, Supp., pp. 26-31
Notes and CBS v. FCC, Supp., pp. 31-34
In re Complaint of Ross Perot against ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox Broadcasting Co. (October 3, 1996), Supp., pp. 35-46

C. Personal Attacks

In Letter of Ms. Loretta Smith, Supp., pp. 47-48
In re Personal Attack Complaint of Bree Walker Lampley, et. al., Supp., pp. 49-52
47 CFR §§ 73.1920-41 (1997), Supp., pp. 53-56
Note on Modification of the Personal Attack Rules, Supp., pp. 57-58

5. and 6. Digital Television and Public Interest Obligations

Chapter Seven: Overview Case Study-- High Definition Television, pp. 321-339
Digital Television and Public Television, Supp., pp. 59-64
Gore Report on Oligations of HDTV Broadcasters, Supp., pp. 65-242

7. Public Broadcasting

Notes on Noncommercial Broadcasting, Supp., pp. 243-244
Accuracy in Media v. FCC and Notes, Supp., pp. 244-251
FCC v. League of Women Voters and Notes, Supp., pp. 251-266
Muir v. Alabama Educational Television Commission and Notes, Supp., pp. 266-284
Arkansas Educational Television Commission v. Forbes and Notes, Supp., pp. 284-299
Knights of the Ku Klux Klan v. Bennett, Supp., pp. 300-304

8. Broadcast Indecency and The Safe Harbor Rule

FCC v. Pacifica Foundation and Notes, pp. 175-82
Sable Communications v. FCC and Notes, pp. 480-488
In Re Pacifica Foundation and Notes, pp. 201-205
FCC Asked to Punish Crude Shock Jocks, Supp, pp. 316-317
ACT III (en banc opinion) and Notes, pp. 182-201
Notes and Becker v. FCC, Supp., pp. 318-327

9. Television Violence

Notes and Olivia N. v. National Broadcasting Co., Supp., pp. 327-334
Krattenmaker and Powe, Regulating Broadcast Programming, ch 5, Supp., pp. 335-354
Calvin and Hobbes, pp. 242-245

10. The V-Chip

Balkin, Media Filters, the V-Chip, and the Foundations of Broadcast Regulation, pp. 245-257
Meese v. Keene, Supp., pp. 355-357
Commission Finds Industry Video Programming Rating System Acceptable, Supp., pp. 358-364
Notes on V-Chip Rating System, Supp., pp. 365-367

11. Children's Television

Cases and Notes on Children's Television, pp. 205-230

12. and 13. Cable Television and Must Carry Rules

A. Introduction

Chapter Eleven: Early Regulatory Responses to Cable, and Chapter Twelve, Regulation of Cable, 1980-92, pp. 507-536 (background)
Notes on Telephone Regulation and Natural Monopoly, pp. 343-352 (background)

B. Must Carry Rules

Chapter Thirteen: Broadcast-Cable Relationships, pp. 537-555
Turner Broadcasting v. FCC (Turner I), pp. 555-572
Turner Broadcasting v. FCC (Turner II), pp. 572-596

C. Must Carry in the Age of Digital Television

Notes and Carriage of the Transmissions of Digital Television Broadcast Stations, Supp., pp. 368-385

14. Content Regulation of Cable: Mandated Access-- PEG and Leased Access Channels

Midwest Video Corp. v. FCC (Midwest Video II) and Notes, pp. 597-600
Notes on Rate Regulation of Cable Service, pp. 601-604
47 U.S.C. §§ 531-32, pp. 746-48
Notes on Access Channels, Supp., pp. 386-390
Group W. Cable, Inc., v. City of Santa Cruz and Notes, pp. 625-636
Time Warner Entertainment Co. v. FCC, (Sections I, IV, and V of the opinion) Supp., pp. 391-399

15. Content Regulation of Cable: Indecency

Cruz v. Ferre and Notes, pp. 605-608
Denver Area Educational Telecommunications Consortium v. FCC and Notes, pp. 608-623

16. Direct Broadcast Satellite

Time Warner Entertainment Co. v. FCC, (Section VI) Supp., pp. 399-402
Time Warner Entertainment Co. v. FCC (dissent from rehearing en banc), Supp, pp. 403-407
In Re Implementation of Section 25 of the CTCPA: Direct Broadcast Satellite Public Interest Obligations, Supp., pp. 408-470
Davis, Squishing Channels, Supp, pp. 471-473
Albiniak, Sat Story, Supp, pp. 474-479

Part II-- Freedom of Speech in Cyberspace

17. Dangerous Speech on the Internet

Suicide Web Site Sparks Controversy, Supp., pp. 501-502
Raysman and Brown, Extreme Speech on the Internet, Supp., pp. 503-506
Proposed 18 U.S.C. § 1639, Supp., pp. 507-508
Rice v. Palladin Enterprises, Supp., pp. 509-541
Godwin, The Net Effect, Supp., pp. 542-543
Goodale, Can Planned Parenthood Silence the Pro Life Web Site?, Supp. pp. 544-545
Planned Parenthood v. ACLA (The Nuremberg Files Case), Supp., pp. 546-568

18. Collateral Censorship and Internet Service Providers

Balkin, Note on Collateral Censorship, Supp., pp. 569-573
Zeran v. AOL, Supp., pp. 574-582
Blumenthal v. Drudge, Supp., pp. 583-596
Digital Millenium Copyright Act (excerpts), Supp., pp. 597-605

19. Private Censorship by ISP's

Harmon, Worries About Big Brother at America Online, Supp., pp. 606-609
AOL Rules of User Conduct, Supp., pp. 610-613

20. Broadband and the Debate over Cable Access for Internet Service Providers

How Broad is Your Bandwidth, Supp., pp. 614-616
Krebs, AOL, Time Warner, "We'll Keep ISP Access Promise," Supp., pp. 617-618
ATT v. City of Portland, Supp., pp. 619-628
Saltzer, "Open Access" is Just the Tip of the Iceberg, Supp., pp. 629-631
Lessig, It's the Architecture, Mr. Chairman, Supp., pp. 632-634