76042 Communications Law

Requisite(s): 70617 Administrative Law

There are also course requisites for this subject. See access conditions.

In this subject students explore the laws that affect participants in Australia's communications industries.

Telecommunications, broadcasting and the print media have been the traditional focus of this subject; but the blurring of the boundaries of these media, in particular the exponential growth of the Internet, now requires a much broader approach.

Learning in this subject is divided equally between the laws that affect the content (words, sounds and pictures) published/transmitted in these media, and the laws that affect the conduct of the corporations providing communication services.

The wide powers given to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to prevent anti-competitive conduct in a market which, until recently, Telstra dominated through a statutory monopoly, are examined.

The Broadcasting Services Act 1992 (Cwlth), in particular electronic media censorship, and the complex provisions known as cross-media rules are considered, as is the role of the Australian Communications and Media Authority, and industry self-regulation schemes.