| Telecommunications Act Of 1996 |
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The Telecommunications Act of 1996 was the first major overhaul of United States Telecommunications Policy in nearly 62 years, modifying earlier legislation, primarily the Communications Act Of 1934 . It was approved by the 104th Congress on January 3 , 1996 . Dick Armey served as House Majority Leader during its passage. It was signed into law by United States President Bill Clinton on February 8 , 1996 . The legislation regulates:
The general intention of the Act was Deregulation and promotion of competition. The Act removed barriers which had previously prevented telecoms from competing head-to-head; the Act was intended to foster competition. Deregulation was also intended to offer consumers a choice in local phone service. Passage of the Act resulted in several major mergers, including:
Although the intent was to promote competition and reduce monopolization in the telecommunications industry, the Act apparently increased the power of monopolizers. Of the companies formed through the above mergers, only Verizon and SBC Communications (under the name AT&T Inc.) still exist. Title V was the Communications Decency Act , aimed at regulating Online Pornography but was later defeated in the courts on constitutional grounds by advocates of Free Speech . EXTERNAL LINKS
''Analysis of The Telecommunications Act of 1996''. This article by Fritz Messere (Associate Professor of Communication Studies at SUNY Oswego) describes the impact of the Act on radio and television broadcasting, Internet and on-line computer services, and provides sources and suggested further reading.
“Chapter 4: Liberalisation: Case Studies in Telecommunications” from the London School of Economics’ Course Guide to Political Environment for Global Business, by Richard Jerram, Michael Hodges, Louis Turner, and Richard Kurz. This article describes the main effects of US telecommunications reform and discusses the consequences of The 1996 Telecommunications Act. REFERENCES
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