[ecrea] ECREA Communication Law and Policy Workshop 2012

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE: Call for papers

ECREA Communication Law and Policy Workshop 2012

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

16-17 March 2011, Ludwig Maximilians University, Munich, Germany

Presented in association with ECREA, Department of Communication
Science and Media Research (IfKW) of Munich’s Ludwig Maximilians
University and Munich Center on Governance, Communication, Public
Policy and Law (MCG).

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. In addition to discussing
communication and media policy from the perspective of change 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.

A printed volume of the contributions is planned.

For all details and information, please see

http://www.ifkw.uni-muenchen.de/aktuelles/veranstaltungen/ecrea2012/index.html


Deadline for abstracts: 1 October 2011

Contact:
Dr. Maria Löblich&  Dr. Senta Pfaff-Rüdiger
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)


CALL FOR PAPERS

The Communication Law and Policy Section of ECREA hereby invites
abstracts for presentations on the topic of “Communication and Media
Policy in the Era of the Internet and Digitization”. The section’s
2012 workshop will be hosted and organized by the Department of
Communication Science and Media Research of Munich’s Ludwig
Maximilians University. It is supported by the Munich Center on
Governance, Communication, Public Policy and Law.

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 “media
policy” or “communication policy”, 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 Löblich: (loeblich /at/ ifkw.lmu.de), Senta
Pfaff-Rüdiger: (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 Löblich&  Dr. Senta Pfaff-Rüdiger
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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