Federal Telecommunications Law/with 2004 Cumulative Supplement

Rating:
Summary: Perfect primer for K Street telecom associates.
Review: There isn't anything else like this on the market. It contains all the FCC and court and DOJ lore on telecom from the beginning of the century through the 1996 Act up to the present. The spicy bits apparently were written by pundit Peter Huber (who isn't identified in the listing above).

Rating:
Summary: Comprehensive and readable.
Review: There's a lot to like in this book. It's comprehensive and easily the most readable 1500 page book you are ever likely to encounter.

Two substantive criticisms (i) it can be astonishingly opinionated at times. There is a pronounced pro-Bell bias and a dismissive attitude toward regulation and regulators generally. Not every reader will consider that a bad thing, but I found it shrill and annoying. (ii) The book can be very weak and frequently inaccurate when it wanders off the law and into policy analysis. I didn't sense that the authors were particularly knowledgeable about economics or technology and it showed in a poor comprehension of the reasoning behind FCC policy.

I was surprised that another reviewer recommended Benjamin's 'Telecommunications Law and Policy' as an easier introduction. Benjamin et al is an excellent casebook, but Kellogg et al is an easier read. In fact, they are excellent complements as Benjamin provides the more authoritative reference with lots of source materials. Sharon Black's book is an excellent but basic introduction to Telecom Law.

My recommendation. Read Black, then Kellogg, then Benjamin. That's not an order of preference, just the best sequence to peel away the onion of telecom law.

Rating:
Summary: Great introduction to telecom issues
Review: This is a comprehensive introduction to all sorts of telecommunications (mainly telephone regulation) issues. It's probably a bit much for the novice; something like Stuart Benjamin's Telecommunications Law and Policy is probably a better match there. But, if you want all the details, this is definitely the place to go.