The Appropriate Scope of Regulation in the Cable Television Industry

Abstract

The development of cable television has been subjected to a comprehensive and complex array of federal, state, and local regulations; and many new proposals for regulation are being discussed. This paper attempts a critique of the emerging pattern of regulation. The author analyzes the major policy choices and concludes that only limited regulation can be justified. He proposes a new federal statute that would carefully delimit the respective roles of federal, state, and municipal regulators of cable television.