30 Years of the Telecom Act

Digital inclusion practitioners have been commemorating 30 years of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 over the past month; it became law Feb. 8, 1996. The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society reflected on the legislation’s impact in an article, stating that while significant gains have been made, the promise of universal service has not yet been achieved due to factors including deployment gaps and affordability challenges. “The 30th anniversary of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 presents an ideal opportunity to review the universal service objective, its underlying principles, and the progress made toward its achievement,” the article said, as the organization calls on policymakers and other stakeholders to recommit to the promise of achieving universal access to essential telecommunications services. The nonprofit organization Public Knowledge held an event Feb. 24, during which policy advocates and others discussed the legacy of this legislation and remaining challenges to bridging telecommunications service access and adoption gaps. During the gathering, Rep Jennifer McClellan (D-VA) underlined a need to update the law, noting that her colleagues have been focused on other areas of technology, like AI. “Nobody understands how technology has changed so rapidly that the Telecom Act no longer applies,” said Rep McClellan, who is urging action on its modernization.