[ecrea] cfp: Communication and Media Policy in the Era of the Internet and Digitization (ECREA CLP section)

Workshop of ECREA?'s Communication Law and Policy Section (March 16?]17, 
2012)

Communication and Media Policy in the Era of the Internet and Digitization

CALL FOR PAPERS

The Communication Law and Policy Section of ECREA hereby invites 
abstracts for presentations on the topic of ?gCommunication and Media 
Policy in the Era of the Internet and Digitization?h. The section?fs 
2012 workshop will be hosted and organized by the Department of 
Communication Science and Media Research of Munich?fs Ludwig Maximilians 
University (Dr. Maria Loblich, Dr. Senta Pfaff?]Rudiger). It is 
supported by the Munich Center on Governance, Communication, Public 
Policy and Law (Prof. Dr. Carsten Reinemann).

The workshop will be dedicated to the challenges faced by communication 
and media policy due to digitization and, in particular, due to the 
internet, which can be seen as the most important platform for 
convergence developments and as a driver of numerous changes in the 
communication and media industries. The transition from the analog to 
the digital age and the interrelations between the technological 
evolution and sociocultural, economic and political processes have been 
discussed for many years. However, it is necessary to continue to 
reflect on the demanding situation media policy currently finds itself 
in because digital information and communication technologies have 
become critical resources in Europe and beyond. Economy, health, public 
administration, to name but a few areas of society, are increasingly 
dependent on the internet, and everyday life can no longer be imagined 
without this medium. The permanent evolution of digital technologies and 
user behavior has led to a wide range of controversial issues, for 
instance the future of public service broadcasting, net neutrality, 
online business models, copyright or data protection. These debates 
reflect the societal search for a regulatory framework for societal 
communication under the conditions of digitization and the internet.

The main aim of the conference is to continue the academic discourse 
about changing communication and media structures and their impact on 
communication and media policy. In addition to discussing media policy 
from the perspective of change . change of policy issues, of regulatory 
approaches or of actors constellations . there will be a focus on trying 
to find out how far guiding principles, institutions and regulatory 
arrangements have shown either resilience or adaptability to new 
technological possibilities.

The Munich workshop invites analyses of media and internet regulation in 
individual European countries, on the European level and in 
international arenas. Theoretical as well as empirical contributions and 
prospects of the future of communication and media policy are very 
welcome. Papers may address all dimensions of analysis such as political 
processes and actors, guiding principles, regulatory structures and 
instruments, regulatory bodies and legal frameworks (policy, politics 
and polity). For the purpose of setting up a consistent conference 
program submitters are asked to address one of the topics listed below.

. Content Providers: Traditional Media and new Media Organizations
This topic addresses policy issues related to content providers 
including traditional media such as broadcasting and the press, as well 
as new media (non?]linear audiovisual platforms, user?]generated content 
etc.). Papers are invited that deal with the regulation of media 
organizations and their financing, along with competition and 
concentration policies in the digital age. Some of these issues are 
listed exemplarily here. Over the few last years special emphasis has 
been placed on public service broadcasting and its remit in the digital 
age. What is the outcome of these discussions? Have expectations been 
met by the public value tests established in several national contexts? 
Another core concern has been the economic development in the private 
media sector. The traditional business models of the press and of 
private television are being challenged by the internet. There is fierce 
competition for advertising, and national media companies are facing 
global enterprises such as Facebook and Google, which are becoming 
increasingly involved in content providing. How can existing rules of 
competition be assessed? What are their shortcomings? The guiding 
principle of media pluralism is closely related to market concentration. 
Among other issues, media pluralism debates have dealt with search 
engine market concentration and the consequences it has concerning 
access to information and opinions.

. Content Regulation
On the one hand, as far as content regulation is concerned, the same 
issues are still pertinent: the protection of minors and the control of 
forbidden content. On the other hand, intellectual property rights, 
censorship and other communication and media policy issues that used to 
only play a minor role in former decades (at least in western liberal 
systems) have now come to the fore. Traditional copyright law is being 
challenged through the digital possibilities of distribution and 
copying, thereby leading to an upheaval in various sectors of the media 
industry. Both access restriction in authoritarian states and the use of 
filtering tools across Europe have given rise to protests against 
censorship of the internet.

. Infrastructure and Distribution
Due to the increased number of distribution channels in the digital age, 
distribution and platform policy is currently one of the key issues on 
the table. Among other topics, this includes network neutrality, access 
to communication networks for media content providers . and indeed for 
competitors in the infrastructure market . and spectrum policy. What is 
the distribution of power in the field of infrastructure? What 
importance do the gatekeepers of communication networks have in terms of 
media pluralism? Will the market or will state intervention be the 
appropriate policy measure? What are the regulatory bodies in this field 
and how effective are their instruments? This topic also invites papers 
addressing mobile communication, interoperability, frequency management 
and digital dividend.

. User?]centered Regulation
With the spread of the internet, issues involving the user have become 
of increasing importance. Data protection, media literacy and consumer 
protection are the keywords in the debates about privacy, user profiles, 
the explosion of content and essential selection skills, and the 
marketing of user data for advertising purposes. What concerns are there 
regarding search engines, other services and data protection in social 
media? Which forms of regulation (self?], co?] or state regulation) have 
been discussed or applied in these areas and with what outcome? To what 
extent have users been taken into account by communication and media 
policy to date, and to what degree do users actually view these topics 
as problems?

. The Identity of Communication and Media Policy as a Research Field
There are differences in Europe with regard to the prevailing 
perspective in communication and media studies. Whereas scholars in some 
countries have been focusing on mass media related communication, 
scholars in other countries have often been more concerned with social 
communication in a more encompassing sense including individual 
communication. According to their respective orientations on ?gmedia 
policy?h or ?gcommunication policy?h, research has been conducted with a 
stronger focus on the regulation either of mass media or 
telecommunication. However, the internet and digitization are 
challenging this distinction. What are the consequences for the research 
field as a whole? To what extent do these changes in subject matter 
require a redefinition of core interests, concepts, goals and values of 
the research field? What do these changes mean for the relations between 
policy research and society in general and for the cooperation with 
media politicians and media companies in particular?

. Theories and Methods for Communication and Media Policy Analysis
This topic invites presentations dedicated to reflection on research 
tools. What are the implications of the internet and digitization on the 
way communication policy research should be conducted in the future in 
terms of theories, models, databases and methods? What are the 
opportunities and limits of national, comparative and transnational 
analysis levels? How much has the governance debate contributed to a 
better understanding of communication policy? Which other theoretical 
approaches should be considered or reconsidered in these internet times? 
Besides theoretical contributions, the organizers particularly welcome 
presentations on methods suited to getting to grips with the ongoing 
dynamics in the area of communication and media policy, as well as 
papers discussing problems that may occur when working with 
international databases.

Submissions
Abstracts of no more than 400 words should be submitted in Word document 
format directly to the organizers of the conference by October 1, 2011 
(Maria Loblich: (loeblich /at/ ifkw.lmu.de), Senta Pfaff?]Rudiger: 
(pfaff /at/ ifkw.lmu.de)). Each abstract should address one of the topics 
mentioned above and have a separate cover sheet providing the name(s), 
institutional affiliation(s) and e?]mail address(es) of the author(s). 
Colleagues will be notified of acceptance by November 1, 2011. Full 
papers are due no later than February 26, 2012.

We are planning to assemble a printed volume of the contributions.
More information will be available in due time on the conference website:
http://www.ifkw.uni?]muenchen.de/aktuelles/veranstaltungen/ecrea2012/index.html

Organizers
Dr. Maria Loblich & Dr. Senta Pfaff?]Rudiger
Department of Communication Science and Media Research / Ludwig 
Maximilians University Munich
Schellingstr. 3, 80799 Munich, Germany
(loeblich /at/ ifkw.lmu.de), (pfaff /at/ ifkw.lmu.de)
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