The United States and the Direct Broadcast Satellite: The Politics of International Broadcasting in Space Book

The possibilities of Direct Broadcast by Satellite (DBS) have provoked serious debate in modern telecommunications circles, raising vital questions of state sovereignty, cultural interaction, and the functioning of political and economic systems. In this ground-breaking study, Dr. Luther identifies the social, political, and economic factors underlying the evolving international controversy and situates the debate in the larger arena of postwar power relationships, including the rise of socialist and Third World countries. Placing these issues in a unique historical framework, she discusses the rise of international regulation through the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the role of radio interests in the United States, and the legitimizing effect of the then-emerging mass communications research and scholarship. Dr. Luther also devotes particular attention to the First Amendment and "free flow" arguments put forth by the United States in support of an unfettered international transmission of radio and television signals via satellite. A provocative, insightful work, The United States and the Direct Broadcast Satellite will do much to help clarify the ongoing DBS debate.