This article is a comment on the actual nature of Convergence itself, on how more than a ‘convergence’ towards a single point, it is rather a complex crescendo of many different points, and goes on to comment on the changing nature of communications which has come about due to advances in technology. It then addresses the issues of regulation in such a market place, making recommendations and giving examples about the same.

This article comments on the development of technology and innovation in the past decades, specifically the Internet, and the effect they have had on the sociology and economy of the modern world, and the creation of this new age.

This Report summarises and reports the issues discussed in the Forum on Communications and Society convened by the Aspen Institute in 2002, specifically: the role of the media in a modern democracy; the need for media to establish a trust with its readers/viewers; concern over the shrinking electorate in American elections and the possible role media plays in that trend; the debate over whether consolidation in old and new media raises “democratic” as opposed to antitrust concerns; opportunities for new media to enable the citizenry to communicate; concern that new media will become bottlenecked rather than the open architecture it currently has; the apparent choices the government has; and, what technological architecture, industrial structure, and government (non-) involvement will best meet the needs of the citizens for electorate-enhancing information.

This paper considers the question of the inevitability and the actual role of Convergence in broadcasting media, focusing on five areas, those being: tools for acquisition or production of content and programming; storage technologies; editing or other computer-based post-production technologies; distribution technologies; display or other presentation-related technologies. It thus considers the practical effects of the Convergence of technologies, noting the consequences it has had, such as: transforming structures; changing the way media professionals work; the creation of ‘virtual newsroom’; and the transformation of the audience relationship. It also makes a Convergence-focused case study of ESPN.com, and concludes with a cautionary note on the pitfalls of Convergence.

This article discusses the role of various policies in bringing about or delaying the advent of Media Convergence by analysing the effects they have had in the US over a fifty year period, how they have interacted with technological, economic, and market forces, the direct and indirect roles played by them, their relative effectiveness, and their implications. It specifically discusses the U.S. Constitution and Early Media-Related policy, tracing the history of development of innovations in communications and their relationship with the government, the Communications Act of 1934, and, rather contrarily, the role of Computer and Digital Communications Policy in promoting development, the Telecommunications Act 1996 and the changes it introduces, and the role of Copyright in this debate.