Convergence of Communications: Implications for Regulating Market Entry (Materials about Interdisciplinary Media Research)

'Convergence of Communications' means the elimination of the traditionally existing separation of the telecommunications, broadcasting, and information technology sectors through the increasing use of digital technologies. The so-called convergence phenomenon has remarkable implications for technologies, markets, and the way consumers make use of communications applications. At the same time, convergence urges communications regulation to adapt to the new communications reality. This book analyzes the implications of convergence for the process of regulating communications, paying particular regard to the issue of market entry regulation. Taking a comparative approach to the regulatory concepts formerly applied to telecommunications and electronic media in Germany and the UK, and examining the respective regulatory reforms adopted in these two countries as a result of convergence and in the light of European law, the analysis identifies the implications of different governmental systems for the implementation of regulatory reforms. The analysis is based upon the exploration of a vast number of resources and therefore serves as a comprehensive and instructive overview of the development of convergence in the communications sectors in general, and of the implications for market entry regulations in particular.