The Marketplace of Ideas Metaphor In Communications Regulation

The “marketplace of ideas” metaphor has been interpreted from democratic and economic theory perspectives. These different interpretive approaches emphasize different policy objectives and have been associated with divergent regulatory philosophies. To reach a deeper understanding of how regulators have interpreted and applied the marketplace of ideas metaphor, I analyzed the use of the metaphor over the past 33 years by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). I conducted content analysis on each FCC decision, from mid-1965 through mid-1998, in which the “marketplace of ideas” terminology was used. The results suggest that the metaphor typically has been used within the context of deregulatory actions, and that, in recent years, the Commission increasingly has focused on the economic theory dimension of the metaphor. However, the results for the 33-year period indicate no significant relationship between the type of regulatory action taken and the theoretical interpretation of the marketplace of ideas metaphor employed.