The wireless industry eagerly awaits a re-write of the 1996 Telecommunications Act. Senator Ted Stevens (R-Ak.) is expected introduce legislation minimizing regulatory interference in telecom markets. The Senator has publicly stated that limited regulation is best for telecom and supposedly shares this opinion with other senators. Another piece of telecom legislation hit Congress earlier this week. On Wednesday, Senator John Ensign (R-Nev.) co-sponsored the Broadband Investment and Consumer Choice Act, which aims to level the playing field between telephone, cable, and satellite companies while opening the door for the delivery of new broadband services.
The 1996 Act is seen by many as outdated, especially given the current proliferation of wireless and VoIP, the emergence of cable companies as voice providers, and industry-wide changes caused by convergence.
For more on the coming changes in US telecom regulation:
- read this article from TMCnet