The Communications Act of 1934 brought the telephone, telegraph, and the then-fledgling broadcasting industry under the control of the newly created Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The U.S. Congress reasoned that because the radio spectrum was...

The Telecommunications Act of 1996[1] was the first major overhaul of United States telecommunications law in nearly 62 years, amending the Communications Act of 1934, and leading to media consolidation.[2] It was approved by the 104th Congress on...

The 1996 Telecommunications Act had twin goals: facilitating competition and promoting advanced service deployment throughout the United States. Congress viewed these goals as largely compatible--unfettered competition was the preferred vehicle for delivering advanced infrastructure and advanced services. When it came to rural...

The ambitious goals and the resulting policy of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 has become so intertwined because of the Act's conflicting goals, contradicting sections and ambiguities. The FCC released its Interconnection Order and implemented the Act's local competition provisions on Aug. 8, 1996....

When Henry Powderly II ordered Verizon Communications Inc.'s FiOS fiber-optic service, he knew he was about to be connected to the future of telecommunications. He also got unplugged from its past. Which meant that while Powderly was gaining features, he was losing some telecommunications options.Verizon's...

When Henry Powderly II ordered Verizon Communications Inc.'s FiOS fiber-optic service, he knew he was about to be connected to the future of telecommunications.He also got unplugged from its past. Which meant that while Powderly was gaining features, he was losing some telecommunications options.Verizon's installer...