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Questions tagged [communications-law]

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Does the First Amendment apply to amateur radio?

Is speech over amateur radio constitutionally protected? Could I theoretically sue the FCC for the right to broadcast music on 20 meters, and have a chance of winning on free speech grounds? If the ...
Someone's user avatar
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Can people build a radio station/transmitter without amateur radio license in Canada?

Consider only Canada law: Suppose someone has no amateur radio license, can he build a radio transmitter? Suppose someone has amateur radio license, can he build a radio transmitter? If people want ...
Joe's user avatar
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What is the standard of proof for violations of the amateur radio regulations?

What is the standard of proof for violations of 47 CFR 97, the amateur (ham) radio regulations? Is it preponderance of the evidence or beyond reasonable doubt?
Someone's user avatar
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Does Payola apply to Spotify and related services?

If someone paid a Playlist Curator to host music on the curator's playlist, without any disclosure of the payment, would that be illegal? US Title 47 Section 508 states this kind of behavior is ...
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5 votes
2 answers
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Can phone companies or messaging apps censor speech?

In the US, could a phone company, theoretically, suppress certain kinds of speech by censoring certain words or phrases as they’re being transmitted over the phone company’s infrastructure? In order ...
Tim kinsella's user avatar
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Is Apple's private relay feature illegal in Colombia and South Africa, and if so, why?

Apple has announced a new browsing feature designed to hide a user's browsing from others. The article linked above said the feature is banned in: China, Saudi Arabia or Belarus, Colombia, Egypt, ...
southafricalawquestion's user avatar
3 votes
3 answers
953 views

Does acceptance of communication with identifying characteristics originating from a disputed territory imply recognition of that territory?

To give an example: One of the more well known currently disputed territories is Crimea. As telecommunication services, and users of such, do continue to operate from that territory under the aegis of ...
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2 answers
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How does The Warranty Department afford (or avoid) the FTC Do Not Call fines?

Supposedly, there are fines associated with violating the Do Not Call list — these fines may be, per call, greater than the US median yearly income — yet this ubiquitous script plagues most peoples' ...
JamesTheAwesomeDude's user avatar
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What are the contours of communication INTERCEPTION?

A nuanced understanding is sought with regards to the bright-lines + contours of what it means to intercept as it pertains to Florida communications state law. A Google search of interception returns:...
411's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
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Why is secrecy of correspondence treated differently than telephone or electronic surveillance

According to wikipedia "secrecy of correspondence" "Paper letters have, in most jurisdictions, remained outside the legal scope of law enforcement surveillance, even in cases of "...
CuriousIndeed's user avatar
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3 answers
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Is texting interoperability between Google and Apple against the First Amendment?

Google and Apple smartphones are incompatible when communicating via text messaging. You can't send more than one picture back and forth. You can't send video. You can't send texts without the text ...
Entree's user avatar
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In what ways are Google / Apple / FB beholden to US data collection laws

IANAL: Said American triumvirate collects significant user-data including communications as well as temporal geo-location: a jackpot for any agency (including non state actors). What statutes (or any ...
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3 votes
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"Impersonating" a government agent for an Alternate Reality Game

Say I'm creating an alternate reality game where I want players to be contacted by an FBI agent through email. Ideally, in order for players to remain immersed, the email would appear to be actual ...
crass_sandwich's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
237 views

What constitutes "management" for an amateur radio club?

A group of licensed radio amateurs has joined together to form a club. The club meets monthly, sponsors classes to license new amateurs, hosts an amateur repeater station and operates at public events....
Brian K1LI's user avatar