In 1996, Congress enacted comprehensive reform of the nation's statutory and regulatory framework for telecommunications by passing the Telecommunications Act, which substantially amended the 1934 Communications Act. The general objective of the 1996 Act was to open up markets to competition by removing unnecessary regulatory barriers to entry. At that time, the industry was characterised by service-specific networks that did not compete with one another: circuit-switched networks provided telephone service and coaxial cable networks provided cable service. The act created distinct regulatory regimes for these service-specific telephone networks and cable networks that included provisions intended to foster competition from new entrants that used network architectures and technologies similar to those of the incumbents. This 'intramodal' competition has proved very limited. But the deployment of digital technologies in these previously distinct networks has led to market convergence and 'intermodal' competition, as telephone, cable, and even wireless networks increasingly are able to offer voice, data, and video services over a single broadband platform. There is consensus that the current statutory framework is not effective in the current market environment, but not on how to modify it. The debate focuses on how to foster investment, innovation, and competition in both the physical broadband network and in the applications that ride over that network while also meeting the many non-economic objectives of U.S. telecommunications policy: universal service, homeland security, public safety, diversity of voices, localism, consumer protection, etc. This book explores these issues and includes the act in its entirety.

Do courts adequately balance the rights of a free press? Under what conditions may the government refuse to release information to the news media? How can society protect itself from deceptive advertising? First Amendment questions like these are the focus of Communication Law. This introductory textbook addresses First Amendment issues that affect the general public, academics, business people, journalists, government officials, and broadcasters. This newly revised edition contains descriptions and analyses of recent and precedent-setting judicial decisions and is a valuable text for communication law courses in journalism, communication, and political science departments.

Advance praise for The GigaLaw Guide to Internet Law

“I read this book from cover to cover. The examples of case law are of enormous illustrative value. Some of them will raise your blood pressure (well, mine went up several notches, anyway). Well worth the time to read!”
—Vint Cerf, chairman, Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)

“Doug Isenberg pulls off the toughest hat trick in legal writing—he and his contributing authors map out the legal landscape of cyberspace in language accessible and friendly to lay readers, providing a comprehensive guide for lawyers who want to gain a quick grasp of cyberlaw, and they do all this with scholarly care for accuracy and precision.”
—Mike Godwin, author of Cyber Rights: Defending Free Speech in the Digital Age

“A treasure trove of information that is a relief to find, a pleasure to read, and a snap to apply to dozens of your most pressing Internet legal questions.”
—Carol Darr, director of the Institute for Politics, Democracy and the Internet

“Doug Isenberg is the authority on all issues regarding Internet law. His insight is exceptional, his experience unsurpassed. This book is both a reference work and a bible, enlightening and showing the way—a quintessential, all-encompassing work for both the novice and the veteran.”
—Marc Adler, chairman and CEO, Macquarium Intelligent Communications


Doug Isenberg is an attorney and the founder of GigaLaw.com, an award-winning website about Internet law. He writes regularly as a columnist for The Wall Street Journal Online and CNET News.com and has represented numerous high-tech and Internet clients.

For more information about The GigaLaw Guide to Internet Law, visit: http://GigaLaw.com/guide

Electronic banking is a rapidly expanding and complex area. The aim of this new edition is to assist understanding of the legal issues in this area for both legislators and draftsmen. Electronic Banking has developed at a breathtaking pace and it is very important that the law keeps up with changes in the area. Specific events have made it even more essential for an updated text on this subject; the development of payment clearing since the deregulation of cross-border flows of funds, the development of capital adequacy ratios and the Euro. Electronic banking practices affect even the simplest daily transactions, a thorough understanding of the subject is therefore vital. The second edition of Cross Border Electronic Banking 2nd Edition sees substantial developments. It explains the increasingly complex emerging payment system for the information economy. The chapters on Bolero and Swift are key for the banking industry, these are very - yen]hot-- topics that are yet to be covered by other books. The text looks at both business to business transactions and banker-customer relationships. It also discusses the latest developments including the new EC Directive on regulating the issui

Part of a series of short books which deal with topical issues in public policy in an accessible way, this volume examines the legal impact of the information technology revolution. The massive data banks operated by public and private sector organizations have implications for both individuals and society as a whole. In the area of criminal law, the computer hacker has attained a place in popular demonology, whilst the fear of computer viruses and the problems of software piracy have attracted widespread publicity. The increasing use of and reliance upon computers in safety-critical applications also prompts consideration of the legal consequences which may follow any failure. In addition to examining the efficacy of present and proposed legal responses, this book considers the social, technical and cultural fators which influence various forms of computer-related behaviour.

Life now without access to electronic telecommunications would be regarded as highly unsatisfactory by most of the UK population. Such ready access would not have been achieved without methodical and ultimately enforceable means of access to the land on which to install the infrastructure necessary to support the development of an electronic communications network. Successive governments have made such access a priority, regarding it as a principle that no person should unreasonably be denied access to an electronic communications network or electronic communications services. The enactment of the Telecommunications Act 1984 and its revision by the Communications Act in 2003 have played their role in the provision of an extensive electronic infrastructure in the UK, while their reshaping by means of the Digital Economy Act 2017 will continue that process. Throughout that process, a little publicised series of struggles has taken place between telecommunications operators and landowners, as they seek to interpret the Electronic Communications Code by which their rights and obligations have been regulated. This book describes the problems that accompanied the Old Code (which will continue to regulate existing installations and agreements); and the intended solutions under the New Code. The eminent team of authors explain the background, provisions and operation of the old code and the new one, providing practical and jargon-free guidance throughout. It is sure to become the reference on this topic and is intended as a guide for telecommunications operators, land owners, and of course for their advisers in the legal and surveying professions. All members of Falcon Chambers, comprising nine Queen's Counsel and 30 junior barristers, specialise in property law and allied topics, including the various incarnations of the Electronic Communications Code. Members of Falcon Chambers, including all the authors of this new work, have for many years lectured and written widely on the code, and have appeared (acting for both operators and landowners) in many of the few reported cases on the subject of the interface between property law and the code, including for example: Geo Networks Ltd v The Bridgewater Canal Co. Ltd (2010); Geo Networks Ltd v The Bridgewater Canal Co. Ltd (2011); Crest Nicholson (Operations) Ltd v Arqiva Services Ltd (2015); Brophy v Vodafone Ltd (2017).

Providing a comprehensive explanation of blockchain, cryptocurrency and the international regulation and challenges that apply, this book introduces the reader to the core topics, including: global regulation of blockchain and cryptoassets; the Internet of Things; the Right to be Forgotten and the right to erasure; environmental, social and governance metrics; smart contracts; initial coin offerings; data protection regulation; Decentralised Autonomous Organisations ('DAOs') and the Metaverse. Written by leading UK experts in cyber law, the Second Edition includes: - fungible and non-fungible cryptoassets ('NFTs') - remedy and tracing strategies - financial hygiene requirements that flow from anti-money laundering - counter-terrorist financing regulations. Explaining the fundamentals of blockchain and cryptocurrency in an accessible and understandable way, and sparking new thinking about how old problems can be solved in new ways, this book is essential reading for anyone wishing to have a wider understanding of this complex and evolving area of law.

This book brings together papers that offer conceptual analyses, highlight issues, propose solutions, and discuss practices regarding privacy, data protection and Artificial Intelligence. It is one of the results of the thirteenth annual International Conference on Computers, Privacy and Data Protection (CPDP) held in Brussels in January 2020. The development and deployment of Artificial Intelligence promises significant break-throughs in how humans use data and information to understand and interact with the world. The technology, however, also raises significant concerns. In particular, concerns are raised as to how Artificial Intelligence will impact fundamental rights. This interdisciplinary book has been written at a time when the scale and impact of data processing on society - on individuals as well as on social systems - is becoming ever starker. It discusses open issues as well as daring and prospective approaches and is an insightful resource for readers with an interest in computers, privacy and data protection.

This fifth volume from the Munster Colloquia on EU Law and the Digital Economy focuses on one of the most important challenges faced by private law in this era of digitalisation: the effects of 'data as counter-performance' on contract law; a phenomenon acknowledged by the EU legislator in the new Digital Content Directive 2019/770. In the book, legal experts from across Europe examine various issues, in particular contract performance and restitution and the relationship between contract law and data protection.

Protecting the privacy of student data when bringing technology into the classroom is one of the toughest organizational challenges facing schools and districts today. Parent and legislator concerns about how school systems protect the privacy of student data are at an all-time high. School systems must navigate complex federal and state regulations, understand how technology providers collect and protect student data, explain those complexities to parents, and provide the reassurance the community needs that the student information will remain safe. Student Data Privacy: Building a School Compliance Program provides solutions for all of these challenges and more. It is a step-by-step journey through the process of building the policies and practices to protect student data, and shifting the organizational culture to prioritize privacy while still taking advantage of the tremendous benefits that technology has to offer in the modern classroom.

Even though the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution grants freedom of speech and freedom of the press, laws and regulations governing media frequently evolve as the media themselves do. As a result, it is often a challenge to keep pace with new laws and regulations. Electronic Media Law is a comprehensive, up-to-date textbook on the constantly changing and often complex world of electronic media law. Author Roger L. Sadler examines the laws, regulations, and court rulings affecting broadcasting, cable, satellite, and cyberspace. The book also looks at cases from the print media and general First Amendment law, because they often contain important concepts that are relevant to the electronic media. Electronic Media Law is written for mass media students, not for future lawyers, so the text is straightforward and explains "legalese." The author covers First Amendment law, political broadcasting rules, broadcast content regulations, FCC rules for station operations, cable regulation, media ownership rules, media liability lawsuits, intrusive newsgathering methods, media restrictions during wartime, libel, privacy, copyright, advertising law, freedom of information, cameras in the court, and privilege. Key Features Provides an easy-to-use format of chapter categories and sections that facilitate research on individual topics Frequently Asked Questions highlight important points from cases Explains complex, legal concepts in basic terms that give students the foundation for further studies in electronic media law Electronic Media Law provides an understanding of the First Amendment and the American legal system with an emphasis on the electronic media. It is an excellent textbook for undergraduate and graduate students studying broadcast law and media law.

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.

This book gathers contributions related to the most pressing problems and challenges that new information and communications technologies (ICT) and digital platforms introduce into the labour market, and the impact they have on the way that people work, their rights and even their health and dignity. In addition, there are also chapters studying personal data protection, which is currently a topic of maximum interest due to the New European Regulation about it.The contributors here are drawn from around the world, with several countries represented, such as Portugal, Spain, Italy, Brazil, Australia and Venezuela. The book will appeal lawyers, legal and human resources experts, economists, judges, academics and staff from trade unions, and employers' representation.The volume features insights and contributions in different languages, with chapters in Spanish (12), English (6) and Portuguese (4).