Will universal service and common carriage survive the Telecommunications Act of 1996?
Article Abstract:
The Telecommunications Act of 1996 reaffirms the place of universal service in US telecommunications policy, but common carriage will likely be replaced by private contract carriage subject to interconnection rights. Historically, universal service and common carriage have been fundamental to US policy because they serve goals of equality of treatment. Universal service continues to have strong political support. Pairing interconnection rights with rules requiring third party neutrality in telecommunications services will serve the interests that common carriage has protected.
Publication Name: Columbia Law Review
Subject: Law
ISSN: 0010-1958
Year: 1997
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The bending line between conventional "broadcast" and wireless "carriage."(Symposium: Telecommunications Law: Unscrambling the Signals, Unbundling the Law)
Article Abstract:
The rise of novel telecommunications technologies, such as direct broadcast satellites, has made it difficult, and possibly pointless, for regulators to maintain long-standing distinctions between broadcasters and common carriers. Different regulatory schemes have evolved for broadcast and carriage. Direct broadcast satellites and other wireless technologies do not fit neatly into either category. The greater diversity of programming that can be had through these new media lessens the need for regulation based on these out-dated classifications.
Publication Name: Columbia Law Review
Subject: Law
ISSN: 0010-1958
Year: 1997
User Contributions:
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