Copyright (c) 2009 All rights reserved. http://works.bepress.com/brian_ewart Recent documents in Brian J Ewart en-us Wed, 27 May 2009 11:15:30 PDT 3600 http://works.bepress.com/brian_ewart/1 http://works.bepress.com/brian_ewart/1 Tue, 26 May 2009 21:12:55 PDT The broadcasting industry is one of the most public and most scrutinized industries in America. Television and radio networks allow for the mass communication of programming simultaneously across the country. All of this is regulated by the Federal Communications Commission ("FCC"), a federal agency that claims among its powers, the ability to determine what content is and is not "decent" for public consumption.With the proliferation of cable and satellite distribution of programming, however, the broadcast networks have encountered more and more pressure to push the limits of the FCC's edicts. With more choices than ever, does it still make sense to regulate the content of over-the-air broadcasting? Can the market regulate content better than the government?This paper will argue that the regulation of broadcast networks is outdated and that these businesses could provide greater value to the public without the shackles of the FCC's decency requirements. This paper will focus specifically on the television context for simplicity, though many of the same issues will be applicable to radio as well. Brian J. Ewart Administrative Law Communications Law Economics Law and Economics