[Ipg-smz] Fwd: [Cybertelecom-l] 📚What I'm Reading: Rehearsal for Media Regulation: Congress Versus the Telegraph-News Monopoly, 1866-1900

[Stephen Satchell]

This may be of interest to our membership as well.


-------- Forwarded Message --------
Subject: [Cybertelecom-l] 📚What I'm Reading: Rehearsal for Media 
Regulation: Congress Versus the Telegraph-News Monopoly, 1866-1900
Date: Sun, 1 Dec 2019 10:13:51 -0500
From: Bob Cannon <cybertelecom at gmail.com>
Reply-To: cybertelecom-l at googlegroups.com
To: cybertelecom-l <cybertelecom-l at googlegroups.com>

I knew this story... but I have never read it in detail.  This is an
excellent rendition.  Connects a lot of dots.

> https://www.repository.law.indiana.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1373&context=fclj

In this Article, Menahem Blondheim presents a critical historical 
analysis of the dawn of communications regulation as it began with the 
evolution of domestic telegraphy and developed into a coherent link 
between 19th century technological, business, and social developments 
and twentieth century First Amendment thought. First, the Article 
examines the political and economic environment which led to the 
development of national telegraph and news networks, like Western Union 
and the Associated Press. The Author then proceeds to assess the role of 
the mid-to-late nineteenth century American legislature, and how the 
debate over telegraph and wire service regulation realigned the powers 
of government, judiciary, and corporate America. Next, the Article 
explores the tensions that developed with respect to the Associated 
Press and Western Union monopolies, and how the judiciary entered the 
scene of communications regulation at this critical juncture. Finally, 
the Author suggests that the history of the development of this early 
communications network frames current legal debates over the proper
roles of government and private industry in the communications 
regulatory environment.