Postgraduate Course: Communications, networks, and the law (LAWS11311)
Course Outline
| School | School of Law |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course covers the regulation of communications networks and services, and aims to discuss the most relevant provisions that govern the sector against the background of the different rationales and policy concerns that are relevant to the sector. The focus of the course is mainly European, although comparative and international perspectives will be explored as well.
The course explores a range of legal and policy questions, including price control, social and universal service obligation, separation and new entry, technological neutrality (e.g. between wired and wireless), cross-border agreements, and consumer protection. The interaction between communications law and other forms of regulation (e.g. competition, media, trade) is explored, as are perspectives on the communications industries from other disciplines, particularly the relationship between law and innovation. |
| Course description |
Session Titles:
Week 1: Communications law: rationales, developments, challenges
Week 2: Liberalisation, competition and industry efficiency
Week 3: From licensing to general authorisation
Week 4: Access and interconnection
Week 5: Universal service and users' rights
Week 6: Privacy in electronic communications
Week 7: Spectrum management and the digital dividend
Week 8: The regulatory design of the communication industry at European and national level
Week 9: The global governance of communication networks and its challenges
Week 10: An infrastructure for free speech: ISP liability and net neutrality
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate a deeper understanding of the legal issues arising in the communications industry (including user/consumer perspectives);
- Appreciate the limits on administrative action in the UK and elsewhere;
- Be able to engage in debate as to the type of regulatory measures appropriate for different forms of communication;
- Comprehend the role of international law ("hard" and "soft") for this field.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | networks,telecommunications,regulation,Internet,ITU |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Paolo Cavaliere
Tel: (0131 6)51 5137
Email: Paolo.Cavaliere@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Florence Finlayson
Tel: (0131 6)50 9588
Email: Florence.Finlayson@ed.ac.uk |
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