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SINGLING OUT BROADCAST. Outside of USA …. Historically authoritarian policies: media content industry structure Manifested as: state monopoly public must pay licence fees universal service notion content controls, timing controls. . Why broadcast & not print?. Rationale:
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Outside of USA … • Historically authoritarian policies: • media content • industry structure • Manifested as: • state monopoly • public must pay licence fees • universal service notion • content controls, timing controls.
Why broadcast & not print? • Rationale: • uses public frequency spectrum • nation-building (or corrupting) power • Exceptions are the rule! • Policy in many countries is to regulated print as well (even if less so). • Rationale: also seen as powerful
Regulatory rationales • Pure free market would be chaos policy, so even broadcast liberalisation is regulated: • Spectrum and order argument • Social factors arguments = Licenses needed for commercial broadcasters. • Thus policy covers all broadcasters: • Eg. Local content, morals, elections, news, language, univ service, tariffs, etc. • All highly contestable.
Interventionist policy for whom? • Policy to regulate broadcasting in whose interests? • the society • government/ruling class • business (elite private interests) • consumers • communities • nobody, random or status quo?
Interventionist policy for whom? • Broadcast policy in whose interests? • the society (What paradigm highlights this?) • government/ruling class (What paradigm?) • business elite private interests (What paradigm?) • consumers & communities (What paradigm?) • nobody, random or status quo(What paradigm?)
Paradigm spectacles: • Broadcast policy in whose interests? • the society (functionalist view, paternalistic model) • government/ruling class (power, statist model) • elite private interests (pluralist, private sector) • consumers & communities (participative, community) • nobody, random or status quo (chaos)
Convergence confuses • Digital broadcasting: • Policy when “scarce” frequency not at stake? • Different channels: • When broadcast goes via Net? • Other frequency use: • When Net goes via 3G or WiFi? • So who needs a licence then, what kind, and why? • Cf. Convergence bill: (4 kinds of licencing: Network, apps, content, spectrum) • Successful bdcasting reqs all 4 licences – but not nec in the hands of one player, thus shifting from a vertical to horizontal licensing policy.)
Summing up • Broadcast policy issues: • Historically more susceptible to policy and regulation • Frequency and social issues • Convergence issues • Likely that structure and content policy will impact in a major way on internal policy.