A Call for a New Communications Act

The Communications Act is badly outdated. Congress last made major changes to it in 1996—when the Internet was relatively new, before smartphones, and before streaming video. When Congress is able to take up major legislation again, it should replace the current law with a new Communications Act designed for how Americans communicate today and as they are likely to in the years to come. The central question is foundational: How should the United States protect consumers, promote competition, expand access, safeguard privacy, and manage public resources in an age when the Internet is our most important communications system? Communications technology has changed dramatically, but many of the underlying problems have not. A new law should build on long-standing principles: fair treatment, open access, universal service, public-interest protections, and responsible management of wireless spectrum.

Scott Jordan is a Professor of Computer Science at the University of California, Irvine. He served as the Chief Technologist of the Federal Communications Commission during 2014-2016.