The Benton Foundation's
Telecommunications Act of 1996
Homepage

NOTE: This page is no longer maintained by the Benton Foundation, but it remains available as a historic record of our past work. Because of this, some of the hyperlinks on this page may no longer function.

FCC Schedule to Implement the Act

• FCC Chairman Outlines 1997 Agenda
  Speech Delivered December 12

• FCC Telecommunications Act Home Page

• Overview of FCC Rulemaking Proceedings that Affect the Public Interest
  Courtesy of the Institute for Public Representation at Georgetown University

• FCC Schedule to Implement the Telecommunication Act
  Posted June 18

• Download FCC Schedule to Implement the Telecommunication Act formatted Word Perfect document

Three Benton guides to the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and the Proceedings at the FCC:

Telecommunications Act of 1996: Timeline for Implementation

Guide to the Paper Chase at the Federal Communications Commission

The Telecommunications Act of 1996
and the Changing Communications Landscape

Choose your area of interest:

Access for Persons with Disabilities
Broadcast Spectrum
Cable Television
Changes in Telephone Service
Content Restrictions
Joint Working Group on Telemedicine
National Education Technology Fund
Privacy
Telecommunications Development Fund
Universal Service
Video Platforms

Access for Persons with Disabilities

• Closed Captioning Web

• Electronically filed Comments to the NOI on Access to Telecommunications Services By Persons with Disabilities (WT Docket 96-198, FCC 96-382). Posted October 25

• FCC releases Notice Of Inquiry and Statement from Chairman Hundt on Access to Telecommunications Services By Persons with Disabilities (WT Docket 96-198, FCC 96-382). 9/20/96

• FCC Disabilities Issues Task Force

• American Council of the Blind on passage of the Telecommunications Act

• The American Foundation for the Blind Universal Service Comments

Broadcast Spectrum

• Broadcast Spectrum and the Debate on the Future of Television

• The Debate on the Future of Television Home Page

• Broadcast License Renewal Proceeding
  Download Word Perfect version

• Order on Implementation of Section 204(a) and 204 (c) of Telecommunications Act of 1996, Broadcast License Renewal Procedures. (April 12, 1996)
  [ News Release | Text Version | WordPerfect Version ]

• Commission implements Section 202(c)(1) and 202 (e) of Telecommunications Act of 1996 National Broadcast Television Ownership and Dual Networking Provisions
  [ News Release | Text Version | WordPerfect Version ]

• FCC revises National Multiple Radio Ownership Rule and Local Radio Ownership Rule in accordance with the Telecommunications Act of 1996.
  [ News Release | Text Version | Wordperfect Version ]

Cable Television

• Open Video Systems

• Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Implementation of Cable Act Reform Provisions of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 CS Docket No. 96-85
  [ Text Version| Wordperfect Version ]

• Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Implementation of Sections 207 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, Restrictrctions on Over-the-Air Reception Devices: Television Broadcast And MultiChannel Multipoint distribution Service.
  (CS Docket No. 96-83) (April 4, 1996)
  [ Text Version| Wordperfect Version ]

• Order on Implementation of Sections 202(f), 202(i) and 301(i) of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, Cable Television Antitrafficking, Network Television, and MMDS/SMATV Cross ownership Rules (CS Docket No. 96-56)
  [ Text Version| Wordperfect Version ]

• Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to Implement Section 302 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 Open Video Systems, Telphone Company-Cable Television Cross Ownership Rules
  [ News Releases | Text Version| Wordperfect Version ]

• Implementation of Section 505 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, Scrambling of Explicit Adult Video Service Programming (CS Docket No. 96-40)
  [ News Releases | Text Version| Wordperfect Version ]

• Commission will not enforce or implement section 505 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 "Scrambling of Sexually Explicit Adult Video Service Programming" as result of court order. [ Public Notice ]

Changes in Telephone Service

• Comments of Benton and the Center for Strategic Communications on the Recommendations of the Joint Board on Universal Service
  Posted December 20

• Local Telephone Companies Providing Long Distance Service NPRM
• Implementation of Local Competition Provisions in Telecomm Act 1996
  • Download Word Perfect version
    • Local Competition Proceeding (Docket No. 96-98) comments concerning Dialing Parity, Number Administration, Notice of Technical Changes, and Access to Rights of Way; filed with the Commission on May 20, 1996.

    • FCC Requests Proposed Text for Rules re.Implementation of Local Competition and Local Exchange Carrier Provision of Video Programming Services

    • The FCC announces availability of the transcript of the Economic Open Forum on Interconnection held on May 20, 1996.

    • All comments and reply comments that were filed electronically for the NPRM Implementing the Local Competition Provisions of the Telecommunications Act (including those filed separately for the sections concerning Dialing Parity, etc.) are now available for downloading.

    • The First Report & Order on the Local Competition Provisions of the Telecomm Act (FCC 96-325) is now available for browsing on-screen (HTML and PDF formats) and for downloading (WordPerfect format).
      Posted August 8

• GC Docket No. 96-101 Commission Proposes Simple Procedure for Utility Companies to Enter Telecommunications

• Content Restrictions For Interactive Computer Services in the Telecommunications Act of 1996

• Litigation Update
  Page maintained by Robert Cannon, Esq.

Other Organizations following this issue include:

• Center for Democracy and Technology (www.cdt.org)
• Electronic Frontier Foundation (www.eff.org)

• FCC Names Telecommunications and Health Care Advisory Committee
  Posted June 6

• Nominations Accepted for the Telecommunications And Health Care Advisory Committee to Assist Implementation of the Telecommunications Act

• FCC Telecommunications and Health Care Advisory Committee Findings and Recommendations
  Posted October 25

National Education Technology Fund

Privacy

• Telecommunications Carriers' Use of Customer Proprietary Network Information and Other Customer Information
  [ Text Version | Word Perfect Version ]
  

Telecommunications Development Fund

• FCC Chairman Appoints Private Sector Members to Telecommunications Development Fund Board
  Posted October 1, 1996

• Interim Chairman of Telecommunications Development Fund Announced

• TDF update
  Posted February 25, 1997

Universal Service

• Public Interest Advocates, Universal Service and the Telecommunications Act of 1996

• Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service Check for Frequent Updates

• If you're interested in universal service, be sure to take a trip to Benton's Universal Service and Universal Access Virtual Library, the largest collection of documents about universal service available anywhere on the web.

• Universal Service Proceedings in the States Courtesy of the American Library Association
  Posted June 17

• Past Updates

Video Platforms

• FCC adopts Final Open Video System Rules Enhancing Competition in the Video Marketplace (FCC 96-334). [Text Version| WordPerfect Version] 8/9/96

• Report and Order Concerning Open Video Systems

• Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to Implement Section 302 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 Open Video Systems, Telephone Company-Cable Television Cross Ownership Rules
  [ Text Version | Wordperfect Version]
  • FCC Requests Proposed Text for Rules re. Implementation of Local Competition and Local Exchange Carrier Provision of Video Programming Services

• Open Video System Comments Available from Cable Services Bureau 8/22/96

• Allocation of Costs Associated with Local Exchange Carrier Provision of Video Programming Services. FCC 96-214 NPRM (Coments due May 28)
  [ News Release | Text Version | WordPerfect Version ]

© Benton Foundation
Washington DC 20006 USA
ph: 202-638-5770 fax: 202-638-5771 email: benton@benton.org
WWW: www.benton.org

Last updated: 25 February 1997 kdh