Page 198 - Critical Political Economy of the Media

Chapter 8

Media convergence and
communications regulation

Introduction
This chapter offers an overview of changes in communications regulation and
examines national variations and transnational influences in selected policy areas
to ask: How is media policy being reshaped in the context of globalisation and
internationalisation? Has the national level of media regulation diminished in
scope, relevance and influence? The political economy tradition examines how
media and communications are organised and in doing so pays particular regard
to regulations and governance. Communications policy analysis has always been
a core focus for critical political economists, such that the two have sometimes
been regarded as almost synonymous. CPE’s attention to and analysis of
regulation is also in stark contrast to the neglect or limited conceptualisation of
regulation across media and cultural studies. This chapter outlines critical issues
in communications policy-making, reviews alternative perspectives on policy
analysis, and explores connections between radical scholarship and media policy
activism.

Why policy matters
Critical concerns with policy are rooted in claims to communication rights
derived from democratic theories of communication. The right to communication
adheres not only to providers (privileged in liberal press theory) but also to
recipients and users. Communications are integral to modern life and to the
circulation of ideas and opinions required for democratic participation, and the
information and imagery required for human flourishing and freedom. It follows
that the outcome of policy decisions affecting how communications resources and
services are organised are immensely important. Media policy analysis considers
how, why and in whose interests governments, public agencies, and others, act or
fail to act, and how others interact with such decision-making and its repercussions.
Governments engage in media policy in three main ways: through creating laws
(legislation), applying rules directly or through agencies (regulation), or by using
grants or subsidies to assist media provision.