ABSTRACT
Communication policy is essentially the balancing of national interests and the interests of the communications industry (van Cuilenburg & McQuail, 2003). In the United States, communication policy is often shaped in reaction to the development of a new technology. As a result, policies vary according to the particular communication policy regime: press, common carrier, broadcasting, cable TV, and the Internet. Napoli (2001) characterizes this policy tendency as a “technologically particularistic” approach leading to distinct policy and regulatory structures for each new technology.
