Telecommunication

March 10, 2026, marks the 150th anniversary of Alexander Graham Bell’s first telephone call. His words—“Mr. Watson, come here; I want to see you.”—were simple but launched a revolution in human connectivity.

Exactly 150 years ago, Alexander Graham Bell made the world’s first phone call. “Come here,” he shouted into the fuzzy, one-way phone line at his partner Thomas Watson. “I want you!” (He had spilled acid on himself.) With these words, he sparked a revolution in ordinary life. As the telephone spread, people could call for help when their home caught on fire, talk to a doctor if their child was sick or simply speak with someone more than a block away.

Across the country, policymakers are reexamining outdated telecommunications rules that no longer reflect how Americans communicate. Recently, the Federal Communications Commission took another big step toward speeding our nation’s transition to modern digital networks, joining the more than two dozen states who have made this progress a priority. This requires reforming decades-old state rules, such as “Carrier of Last Resort,” that require phone companies to spend billions maintaining outdated copper networks rather than focusing on faster, stronger networks consumers actually use.

Protecting consumers is central to the Federal Communications Commission’s Build America Agenda. And given that we are in the midst of National Consumer Protection Week, we thought the March meeting would be a particularly opportune time to advance several items designed to benefit you, the consumer. That is why we will be voting to improve the customer experience at call centers, accelerate the upgrade to modern network infrastructure, and further crack down on illegal robocalls. We’re moving forward with an agenda that puts American consumers first—improving service, protecting public dol

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr announced that the FCC will vote  on rules that will get communities off of old and slow copper lines and onto new, high-speed networks.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr announced that the FCC will be voting on proposals regarding the use of offshore call centers by certain US businesses. First, the FCC will vote on reforms that can encourage businesses to bring call center jobs back to the US. Second, the FCC will explore ways to improve customer service at existing call centers, including a proposal to require call takers to be proficient in American Standard English. Third, the FCC will address illegal robocalls that originate abroad by seeking comment on the targeted use of tariffs or bonds.

The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau (WCB or Bureau) denied Savage Communications, Inc.’s (Savage) request for waiver of the Commission’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) non-compliance rules, finding that Savage did not demonstrate that good cause supports waiving the non-compliance rules or reducing the required support recovery. After being announced as an RDOF winning bidder, Savage filed a long-form application seeking to be authorized to receive support for the winning bids in exchange for providing voice and broadband service.  In December 2021, Sa

The total projected collected interstate and international end-user revenue base to determine the contribution factor for the Universal Service support mechanisms for second quarter of calendar year 2026 is $7,553,336,520.

The Telecommunications Act of 1996 arrived at a pivotal moment in American communications history. For decades, universal service had meant one thing: ensuring that all Americans could access basic telephone service at affordable rates through a system of implicit cross-subsidies managed largely within the monopoly structure of AT&T and its successors. But by the mid-1990s, this model faced twin pressures.

The Federal Communications Commission's Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau (CGB or Bureau) seeks comment in connection with its biennial report required by the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 (CVAA).