Telecommunications Act of 1996

The industries directly affected by the law include: over-the-air television and radio stations, cable television operators, satellite broadcasters[?], wireline telephone companies(local and long distance), wireless telephone companies[?], and others.

The general intent of the revision is summarized, among experts, as deregulation and promotion of facility-based competition[?]. Many agree in that the Telecom Act did not fulfill those goals well. Yet there are contradictory accounts how and why it failed, what should be done.