LAW 793 - Telecommunications Law and Policy

Modern life revolves around technology, from broadband internet to cell phones to connected devices to social media. As daily life becomes more and more connected, the laws and regulatory frameworks that govern these technologies become ever more important. Telecommunications law and policy is at the heart of determining how broadband internet, wireless, and satellite technologies and providers interact. It strives to ensure that everyone can connect and it governs how content can be created and consumed. It also intersects with other vitally important subject matter, including intellectual property, privacy, defense, artificial intelligence, and the Internet-of-Things. This course will offer an introduction to and overview of the broad scope of telecommunications law and policy, from debates in today’s headlines to the Communications Act of 1934 and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and how they interface with rapidly advancing technologies in a constantly changing landscape.
Readings and class discussions will focus on, among other things, the FCC’s authority and how it regulates, differing views on the appropriate role of the regulator, how policy (and politics) influence regulatory outcomes, and other relevant issues related to tech, telecom, and administrative law. The course will be graded pass/fail.