Jonathan Spalter

A law for the next 21 years

[Commentary] Few lawmakers could have envisioned how the world has changed since Congress passed the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which promoted competition and lifted some regulations, allowing phone, cable TV and media companies to transform their business models to compete head to head. Just 20 million American adults had access to the Internet back then, through dial-up services like America Online, CompuServe or Prodigy.

While we have seen great progress and opportunity from broadband connectivity, we need updated telecom laws to acknowledge the dramatically shifting lines of competition, to clarify the rules of the road for internet providers and ensure that consumers and businesses continue to enjoy the benefits from our increasingly connected world. The Telecom Act was a remarkable success story but to keep our innovation economy moving, American consumers deserve a blockbuster sequel.

[Jonathan Spalter is USTelecom President & CEO]

The Next National Infrastructure Push Must Be Powered by Broadband

[Commentary] It’s been more than 60 years since President Dwight D. Eisenhower, fresh from World War II Europe and its front-row seat to the efficiency of the German autobahn, vowed to create our nation’s interstate highway system. Now, President-elect Donald Trump is pledging to invest upwards of $1 trillion in a long-overdue upgrade of U.S. infrastructure.

A new administration and Congress present an opportune moment to take a fresh look at how we build for the future. This includes determining what from the past we must let go. Many believe a major push on infrastructure holds out the greatest hope for meaningful, bipartisan progress. It is essential that this push include broadband. Shoring up aging brick-and-mortar infrastructure is essential to maintaining our country’s safety and economic health. But only by smartly connecting the dots between this largely analog effort and U.S. digital infrastructure can we achieve national outcomes that are truly transformative.

[Jonathan Spalter is president and CEO of USTelecom, the nation’s leading trade association representing broadband service providers and suppliers for the telecom industry.]