Telecommunications Law Research
November 2012
Updated by Paul Hellyer
For information about a career in this field, see our Communications Law Career Guide.
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| Some resources on this page are subscription databases that require a W&M ID and password for off-campus access. Lexis, Westlaw and Loislaw require individual IDs and passwords for both off-campus and on-campus access. |
Library Materials
Library Catalog
To search for books, journals, and audiovisual materials held by William & Mary libraries, use the online catalog.
Search Tips:
Subject Queries--
- 'telecommunication law and legislation'
- 'telecommunication policy'
- 'mass media law and legislation'
Remember that individual jurisdictions can be searched, e.g. 'telecommunication law' and Virginia
To search for materials from other libraries, use the Worldcat database.
Shelf Browsing
To browse the library's shelves for books on telecommunications law, look in or around call numbers KF2761-2849 (federal law) and KF6720-6795 (state and local law). Some relevant books are on reserve.
Primary Sources
(Selected sources only)
Regulations
Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) (Title 47 covers telecommunications)
Selected CFR sections on communications: Westlaw
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Decisions
FCC Record: A Comprehensive Compilation of Decisions, Reports, Public Notices and Other Documents of the FCC.
KF2765.1 A552 (STACKS) Hein Online
Pike & Fischer, Communications Regulation (looseleaf service) (not updated after 2008).
KF2810 A6 P53 (STACKS)
Pike & Fischer, Radio Regulation (looseleaf service) (no longer updated; continued by Pike & Fischer, Communications Regulation).
KF2810 A6 P52 (STACKS)
Other Administrative Documents
FCC Record: A Comprehensive Compilation of Decisions, Reports, Public Notices and Other Documents of the FCC.
KF2765.1 A552 (STACKS) Hein Online
FCC Annual Reports.
KF2765.1 .A8 (STACKS) (1935-1979)
FCC Strategic Plans and Annual Reports: FCC website (1927-present)
Pike & Fischer, Communications Regulation (looseleaf service) (not updated after 2008).
KF2810 A6 P53 (STACKS)
Selected Federal Register materials on communications: Westlaw
Case Law
Federal and State Communications Cases: Lexis
Federal Communications Cases: Westlaw
Legislation
Selected USCA sections on communications: Westlaw
Treatises & Looseleafs
(Selected sources only)
Daniel L. Brenner et al., Cable Television and Other Nonbroadcast Video (1986 & annual supp.)
KF2844 .B74 1986 (STACKS) Westlaw
Charles D. Ferris & Frank W. Lloyd, Telecommunications Regulation: Cable, Broadcasting, Satellite & the Internet (1998 & semiannual supp.) Lexis
Morton I. Hamburg & Stuart Brotman, Communications Law and Practice (1995 & semiannual supp.)
KF2765 .H36 1995 (STACKS)
Peter W. Huber, Federal Telecommunications Law (2nd ed. 1999 & 2010 supp.)
KF2765 .A7 K45 1999 (STACKS) Westlaw
Internet Law and Practice (1998 & Semiannual Supp.) Westlaw
Michael D. Scott, Scott on Multimedia Law (3rd ed. 2008 & annual supp.)
KF2765 .S36 2008 (STACKS) Loislaw
Telecom Antitrust Handbook (2005).
KF2765 .Z9 T45 2005 (STACKS)
Periodicals
LegalTrac is a database that indexes articles from law reviews, bar association publications, legal magazines and legal newspapers.
Coverage: 1980-present.
Subject Queries:
communications regulation
telecommunications
telecommunications law
telecommunications regulation
Selected Periodicals on Telecommunications Law
Westlaw Journal Telecommunications Industry Westlaw
CommLaw Conspectus: Journal of Communications Law and Policy
IN LAW PERIODICAL STACKS Lexis Westlaw Hein Online
Communication Law and Policy
IN LAW PERIODICAL STACKS (1996-2001) Lexis Westlaw
Communications Law Reviews Combined Lexis
Communications Lawyer: Journal of Media, Information and Communications Law
CURRENT YEAR ONLY IN LAW REFERENCE AREA Westlaw
Communications Today Lexis Westlaw
Federal Communications Law Journal (continues Federal Communications Bar Journal)
IN LAW PERIODICAL STACKS Web site Lexis Westlaw Hein Online
Hastings Communication and Entertainment Law Journal Lexis Westlaw Hein Online
Infrastructure (Newsletter of the ABA Section of Public Utility, Communications, and Transportation Law)
CURRENT YEAR ONLY IN LAW REFERENCE AREA Lexis
International Journal of Communications Law and Policy Web site Lexis
Internet Connection Westlaw
Journal on Telecommunications and High Technology Law Lexis Westlaw Hein Online
Michigan Telecommunications and Technology Law Review Web site Lexis Westlaw Hein Online
Free Web Sites
Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions
ATIS is a U.S.-based organization that develops and promotes standards for the telecommunications industry. Their Web site includes reports, periodicals, and a telecommunications glossary.
Federal Communications Bar Association
Association of attorneys, law students, and others involved in the "development, interpretation and practice of communications law and policy."
Federal Communications Commission
The FCC homepage provides links to the various divisions of the agency. From these pages, you can find full text or links to publications such as the Code of Federal Regulations, notices of proposed rulemaking, and international telecommunications agreements.
National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners
NARUC is composed of state government agencies that regulate telecommunications industries and other utilities. The website contains NARUC documents and state regulatory information, including links to all 50 states' regulatory agency homepages.
National Telecommunications Cooperative Association
NTCA is a nonprofit, national organization that represents local telecommunications cooperatives and companies in rural America on Capitol Hill, in front of the Federal Communications Commission, and in court.
National Telecommunications and Information Administration
NTIA is an agency of the Department of Commerce and is charged with advising the President on telecom policy issues. Their website includes summaries of telecom issues pending before the government and links to government documents and congressional testimony.
United States Telecom Association
USTA is a coalition of broadband service providers, manufacturers and suppliers. Their site contains issues briefs and other current policy documents, regulatory news, and technical industry information.
