Media Policy and Governance

Abstract

One of the most important institutions of modern society, the media, has witnessed a dramatic transformation over the last few decades. The advent of the Internet, the rapid growth of mobile and other platforms, and the move toward digital convergence have transformed the sector practically beyond recognition. Inevitably, these changes have had important ramifications for media policy, too. As technology has evolved (and as the way people use and consume media has similarly evolved) several cornerstones of the media policy field have come into question. Regulators and policymakers have had to revisit—and question—the meaning of long-standing media policy principles such as free speech, fair use, universal access, diversity, public interest, and the marketplace of ideas. And, perhaps most important, the boundaries separating other policy fields, such as telecommunications policy, communications policy, information technology policy, and even cultural policy, are becoming increasingly porous as the digitization, convergence, and globalization of communications technologies blur traditional technological and regulatory distinctions.