Welcome to this special issue of Volume 47 of the Federal Communications Law Journal, commemorating the sixtieth anniversary of the Communications Act of 1934 and the Federal Communications Commission that the Act created. On behalf of the editorial board and the Indiana University School of Law-Bloomington, we are proud to present these thirty-nine essays, covering a wide variety of issues affecting communications law and practice.
When we began planning this issue, we invited contributions from a wide cross-section of people who stand at the forefront of their respective professions in communications industries, law, academia, media, and government. To achieve the broadest range of perspectives, we not only attempted to cross lines of race, gender, geography, and political ideology, we also promised authors as little editing as possible so as to preserve their voices and leave their messages intact. The opinions that follow are those of the identified authors alone, and we are deeply grateful to each of them for their generous contribution.
The result is an eclectic blend of opinions, recollections, criticism, analysis, and recommendations. There are thoughtful, sometimes humorous, accounts of past regulatory efforts, changes in communications industries and technologies, insightful assessments of how those changes have affected communications law and practice generally, and the personal and professional lives of the individuals involved. In the pages that follow, contributors detail how they have tried to keep pace with, or even anticipate, rapid changes in technologies, markets, administrations, laws, and regulations.
This issue recognizes the accomplishments of the past sixty years and the commitment and dedication of the people who made them possible; it speaks to as yet unmet needs, and the opportunities and obstacles that lie ahead. As the pace of change accelerates, it is our hope that this diverse collection of essays will spark the interest of not only our valued current readers, but also those people who are just beginning to discover the impact of communications media and information technologies in all phases of contemporary life.
As always, we welcome your suggestions, comments, and submissions. The Journal can be contacted at the Indiana University School of Law-Bloomington, 201 South Indiana Avenue, Bloomington, Indiana 47405; telephone (812) 855-5952; facsimile (812) 855-0555; internet fclj@indiana.edu.
Jason Roberts,