Deregulation is politicization

In the USA in many respects communications has become politics and politics has become communications. It is argued that deregulation, by moving communications out of the government bureaucracy into the commercial and political marketplaces, has in fact led to an increased politicization of communications, in that although there are fewer rules, those that remain have assumed a greater significance. This article traces the contours on the new political landscape of US communications, focusing primarily on the first Reagan administration, 1981-1985.