The Cable Communications Policy Act of 1984: A Balancing Act on the Coaxial Wires

Abstract:     
After three decades of what Chief Justice Burger termed ‘the almost explosive development’ of cable television, Congress updated the Communications Act of 1934 with the Cable Communications Policy Act of 1984. The Act represents the culmination of a ‘decade long effort to update the Communications Act of 1934 . . . and bring our outdated communications laws into the information age.’ The 1984 Cable Act was a complicated piece of legislation, the result of countless compromises and political deals. This Article explains how Congress attempted to balance the competing, and sometimes mutually exclusive, interests of the cable operators, cities, video programmers, and the viewing public.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 81

Keywords: Cable Act, Cable Communications Policy Act of 1984, Communications Act of 1934, Legislation, Broadcasting, Cable Television, Video Programming, Common Carrier

JEL Classification: K19, K23, K39, L82

Accepted Paper Series