Suggesting that the transition from a paper system of news distribution to an electronic one moves the press from a relatively regulation-free environment to one encumbered with broadcast and common carrier regulation, this paper reviews communication law as it applies to the electronic publisher and considers whether this form of publishing might bring the newspaper within the regulatory scope of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The paper begins by providing a rationale for the concern about regulating electronic news. Next, it discusses the developing technology of teletext (one-way transmission) and videotext (two-way transmission) systems, defining and categorizing the systems and their associated terms. The paper then shifts to the legal questions associated with electronic publishing, offering information on electronic information systems as they relate to three types of media (broadcasting, telephone, and cable). Following a discussion of the constitutional aspects of electronic information systems, particularly the First Amendment rights of broadcasters and cable operators, the paper lists some of the future problems inherent in electronic publishing, developing the conclusion that these problems appear to presage more rather than less government regulation. (RL)