Property, Commons, and the First Amendment: Towards a Core Common Infrastructure

Abstract

"Over the past 150 years the cost of effective communications media has increased dramatically. As transportation improved and political units and social interdependence expanded geographically, the relevant political and cultural communities for most people expanded. Reaching these expanded communities was made possible through the introduction of mass media first high-volume mechanical presses, then film, radio, and television. Throughout this period the high costs of the means of effective speech have increased the concentration of media, and largely focused its owners on serving the monetizable consumption habits of ever-larger audiences."