Tell about Yourself

I am an associate professor of communications. I actually began my career managing a "punk rock" band in the late Eighties, and then worked for a while in public radio. It was the creative/artistic elements of mass media that drew me to telecommunications. In graduate school, I focused on law and policy issues, especially free speech and copyright. My research primarily looks at how the regulation of technology affects free speech. I teach Introduction to Telecommunications, Media Programming Strategies,Copyright Law, Telecommunications Policy and Internet Law. In addition to my work, I love travel and outdoors, especially water-related activities like diving and sailing.

What is your present title in the University?

Associate Professor of Communications and Head of the Department of Telecommunications at Penn State University.

About your TeleCommunication Program? Also the URL please

http://www.comm.psu.edu

The Department of Telecommunications at Penn State University is an internationally recognized center for research, teaching and service housed within the College of Communications. The department offers an undergraduate B.A. degree that prepares students for leadership positions in the television, radio, cable TV, satellite, telephone and Internet industries. Students can take courses in media management, production, and policy and also study electronic commerce, electronic publishing, and simulations/virtual worlds/videogames. At the graduate level, the College of Communications offers an M.A. in Media Studies and a Ph.D. in Mass Communication. The program draws upon the extensive industry experience and research expertise of the faculty to prepare graduate students for research careers in academia and industry.

The Department works with external constituencies, policymakers and the public to study the social, economic, legal and political effects of existing and emerging forms of electronic media. The faculty is internationally renowned for its scholarly expertise. Recent research projects have included recommendations for improving the efficiency of universal service, narrowing the digital divide, maintaining a robust, democratic Internet, developing a new set of information metrics, a comprehensive history of the U.S. cable industry, reforming copyright law and exploring Hispanic adoption of new communication technologies. Graduate and undergraduate students have the opportunity to work with leading faculty on pressing communications issues. The department is home to the Palmer Chair of Telecommunications Law, the Cable Pioneers Chair in Telecommunications, and the Don Davis Chair in Ethics. Two department faculty serve as co-directors of Penn State's Institute for Information Policy, which conducts research on the social and business implications of information technologies.

The Telecommunications curriculum provides students with an in-depth understanding of the crucial role that telecommunications plays in the economy, politics, and culture. At the undergraduate level, students can choose an emphasis in programming and production, promotion and sales, management, law and policy, international telecommunications, or telecommunications and society. The program's professional education rests on a foundation of practical skills, theoretical concepts and philosophical ideals that include: critical thinking and analytical ability; social, professional and ethical responsibility; an appreciation of the key role that communications professionals play in the political and cultural life of the community; professional competency in written, visual and oral communication; an ability to apply theory in its various forms; and a sensitivity to the increasingly cross-cultural and international context of media work. While providing students with a solid foundation in professional practice, the major more importantly seeks to ground students in these broader ideals, preparing graduates not just for entry-level positions but for the leadership roles they will command later in their careers.

The graduate program in the College of Communications prepares students for research careers in academia, industry and public service. Students typically take courses in quantitative and qualitative methodologies, as well as specialized courses related to their interests. Students construct their own customized programs in consultation with their advisors and graduate committee members. The Telecommunications department at Penn State focuses on business applications and policy issues facing the various telecommunications industries.

The program offers a systematic approach to understanding the globalization of information technologies and the convergence of electronic media and telecommunications with the Internet. It includes history, technology, policy, economics, industrial structures, and e-commerce issues. The program is both for recent undergraduates in communications and related fields seeking advanced study, as well as for individuals currently associated with the media, information and telecommunications industries wishing to advance themselves professionally. We train students to conduct research on the pressing telecommunications issues facing society, including privacy, copyright, standard setting, broadband access, electronic commerce and more. Our program does not offer courses related to electrical engineering or computer programming.

Name some Featured Telecom courses in your university and few words about them?

Ethics and Emerging Technology is a graduate course taught by Associate Professor Patrick Parsons, the Don Davis Professor of Ethics in the College of Communications. This course looks at the ethical issues raised by new technologies, both at the individual and societal level.

Media and Telecommunications Industries, taught by Associate Professor Krishna Jayakar, focuses on the structure and performance of media, telecommunications and information industries, applying principles and ideas from microeconomics, finance and communications.

Internet Law and Policy, taught by Cable Pioneers Chair and Professor Rob Frieden, examines the legal, policy and business developments in Internet-mediated communications, emphasizing the impact of new developments on existing regulatory and economic models.

Telecommunications Seminar is a rotating course where the topic varies according to the faculty member teaching it. This spring, Professor and Palmer Chair in Telecommunications Policy Richard Taylor will be teaching an in-depth seminar on the videogame industry, with a focus on , business, social and legal issues.

What are the requirements to join your program, like GRE and Toefl requirement and admission procedure?

The College of Communications takes a holistic approach to admissions, so there are no specific GRE and TOEFL requirements. Instead we look at the complete application to determine the best fit for the student and the program. GRE and TOEFL scores are one component of that process. In general, we would expect students to have GRE scores of at least 1000 (verbal and quantitative combined) and a 4.0 for the analytical score. For students whose first language is not English, we would expect a minimum TOEFL score of 90 with at least a 28 on the spoken portion.

If a person is working in Alcatel or Ericsson or any telecom company how does your program benefit working people?

As I noted earlier, our program is not engineering or software-focused. For those in the telecommunications industry who are considering graduate school, our program will help prepare them for management and consulting careers. Students in our graduate program learn the "big picture" of how the telecommunications industry operates and how social, economic, and regulatory forces impact the industry. This prepares students to anticipate future changes and to position their companies to take advantage of new developments.

Nowadays, almost every student is registered in FaceBook or Orkut. Do Telceom Social networking sites like TelecomMentor be useful to your program?

Our faculty don't use a lot of social networking sites but it is clear that these sites are becoming more relevant for career advancement.

If you were going to make a prediction, where would you say the Telecom Industry is going?

I think the telecom industry will remain very healthy over the next twenty years. Electronic commerce is becoming routine and people are spending more of their social lives online as well. Our new online lives are rapidly becoming mobile as new cellular and other wireless technologies are deployed. We will see more and more people get their entertainment from the Internet, whether it is content being downloaded to a high definition television in the living room or a 3G phone on the highway.

Can you name three good schools for TeleCommunication Program?

In addition to Penn State, there are many other good telecommunications programs, though I do think Penn State has one of the top programs in the country-especially because students can combine their study of the telecom industry with courses in electrical engineering, information science and technology, and other disciplines when they study in our program. Aside from Penn State, strong programs include Michigan State University, Indiana University, Ohio University, and the University of Southern California.

About your Family?

I currently live with my girlfriend and two cats in State College, PA.

Three website you visit the most?

The websites I visit most are NYTimes.Com, ESPN.com, and weather.com

What is the best advice you have ever received?

The best advice I have ever received is not to make assumptions. We often think we know what another person is thinking and we are usually wrong.

Few words about your mentor?

My mentor is Millie Rivera, now the Chair of the Communication and New Media Program at National University of Singapore. In addition to being a brilliant scholar, Millie is one of the warmest and most compassionate people I know. She taught me how to conduct research, how to succeed at a university and how to be a better person. My first published article was a paper I wrote for her class on telecommunications regulation.