Despite new media developments, broadcasting regulation remains a matter of central importance. This course provides students with an opportunity to consider contemporary issues affecting the policy and legal regulation of broadcasting using comparative examples, particularly the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia and Canada. An underlying theme of the course is how current developments - technological, economic and regulatory - are affecting fundamental assumptions about the role of broadcasting regulation and the regulatory design itself. By examining different aspects of broadcasting regulation, you should gain an insight into the challenges and importance of designing appropriate regulation for broadcasting. Themes will include: rationales for, and approaches to regulation; structural aspects of regulation; broadcasting control and competition; content regulation; and, broadcasting regulation futures.