We will use Tim Wu, The Master Switch, to cover the historical background for communication technologies.
Since there's no textbook for the class, we will compile our own mini-textbook, using notes from the lecture. A team of two students takes notes in Google Docs and then adds materials from the slides or other sources. The TAs will edit the draft. Students should complete the draft for Mondays by Friday, 5 pm; for Wednesdays, by Monday, 5 pm. Notetaker teams should decide whether both students will take independent notes and then merge them or, for example, each take half the lecture.
The schedule is subject to change, depending on classroom discussion and current events. Invited speakers may be added and will shift the schedule. Slides, assignments and readings are found in CourseWorks.
| Lecture | Day (M or W) | Date | Topics (tentative) | Slides |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | M | 9/13 | Class overview and logistics; Internet adoption; industry overview | intro 1-7 |
| 2 | W | 9/15 | internet adoption; internet industry "stack" and structure | intro 8-19 |
| 3 | M | 9/20 | industry segments; money routing; service providers | intro 20-24 |
| 4 | W | 9/22 | industry structure; industry evolution; cable companies; video money routing | intro 25-37 |
| 5 | M | 9/27 | video markets; industry changes; newspaper circulation; news consumption; newspaper components | intro 37-end; advertising 1-8 |
| 6 | W | 9/29 | newspaper content and revenue; social media as news | advertising 8-23 |
| 7 | M | 10/04 | local journalism; critical inforamtion needs; media functions; public radio and television; advertising | advertising 23-32 |
| 8 | W | 10/06 | advertising economy; political advertising | advertising 32-47 |
| 9 | M | 10/11 | digital advertising; digital ad economics; ad targeting | advertising 47- |
| 10 | W | 10/13 | ad targeting; programmatic advertising | advertising |
| 11 | M | 10/18 | cookies; advertising privacy | advertising |
| 12 | W | 10/20 | internet as infrastructure | |
| 13 | M | 10/25 | Midterm | |
| 14 | W | 10/27 | technology | |
| no class | M | 11/01 | - | - |
| 15 | W | 11/03 | technology | |
| 16 | M | 11/08 | technology | |
| 17 | W | 11/10 | Guest speaker: Bob Cannon (Senior Counsel, FCC Office of Economic Analysis) | |
| 18 | M | 11/15 | standards | |
| 19 | W | 11/17 | infrastructure; rural broadband | |
| 20 | M | 11/22 | Guest speaker: Jonathan Levy (FCC Office of Economic Analysis, retired) | |
| no class | W | 11/24 | - | - |
| 21 | M | 11/29 | law | |
| 22 | W | 12/01 | Guest: Allison Hutchings (Senior Technologist, Sen. Wyden, United States Senate) | |
| 23 | M | 12/06 | Guest: Harold Feld (Senior VP, Public Knowledge) | |
| 24 | W | 12/08 | Guest: Lisa Hone (National Economic Council; FCC) | |
| 25 | M | 12/13 | Review | |
| P | M | 12/13, afternoon/evening | Final project presentations (15 minutes each, with sign-up) and report | |
| F | W | 12/22, 9:00-11:30 am | Final exam (final) |