The Telecommunications Act of 1996 at 30, Part 1: Why It Was Needed

February 8^th marked the 30^th anniversary of President Bill Clinton signing the Telecommunications Act of 1996 into law. Its passage marked a crucial moment in the history of information and communications technology policy in the United States. I was actively involved in the debates leading up to the passage of the Telecom Act during my time as an analyst at the Heritage Foundation in the early 1990s. In this 4-part series, I discuss how the Telecom Act came about, its lasting impact, and the path forward for communications and media reforms. The Telecom Act’s overall effect has been mixed. The law did help to somewhat move the U.S. away from a convoluted analog era regulatory regime that had served the public poorly. Part 1 in this series looks back at the historical problems that led Congress to pass the Telecom Act.