Research

The Department of Telecommunications at Penn State is one of the leading centers for telecommunications research in the world. Students have the opportunity to work with and learn from internationally recognized scholars who are solving many of the most important research questions in the field. The broadcasting, cable, satellite, telephone, and Internet industries touch almost every aspect of our daily lives, shaping how we work, live, govern ourselves and communicate with each other. These technologies have a profound effect on the economy, politics, how we interact with others, and how we view the world.

The Department of Telecommunications is committed to advancing knowledge to ensure that these communication industries make a positive contribution to democracy, the economy, and culture. Faculty research projects include finding solutions to the digital divide, ensuring adequate competition in the telecommunication industries, ensuring that all individuals have access to information and cultural resources, resolving the copyright tensions that plague the Internet, using telecommunications to enhance access to government, looking at how telecommunications is reshaping the global community, and examining the future of television.

Faculty members have published more than 15 books and well over 200 research articles and book chapters between them. Faculty also hold key positions in prestigious research organizations and present their scholarship at leading conferences all over the world. They have testified before Congress and had their work cited by the Federal Communications Commission and the courts.

List of Faculty

Institute for Information Policy

The department is closely connected to Penn State’s Institute for Information Policy (IIP), which conducts research on the social implications of information technology, with an emphasis on the potential of information technologies for improving democratic discourse, social responsibility, and quality of life. The department and IIP have received research grants from industry firms and public interest groups such as AT&T, Verizon, Comcast, the Media Access Project and the Ford Foundation