TOP POL SAYS REWRITE TELECOMS ACT Todd Shields – Mediaweek The chairman of the U.S. House Commerce Committee on Tuesday called for a broad rewrite of the nation's telecommunications laws, ushering in a legislative debate with possibly profound ramifications for TV, radio and the Internet.
Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) said he hoped to move legislation through the House by August and send it on for Senate approval.
“We’re in an era where you have to re-think the old rules,” Barton told a luncheon audience in Washington, D.C. “I believe the best thing to do is just start from scratch.”
Barton’s comments to the Federal Communications Bar Association came as a coalition of business interests inaugurated a lobbying blitz aimed at recasting laws that last were revamped in the 1996 telecommunications act.
“The Telecom Act is almost 10 years old, which is an eternity in the high-tech world,” said Thomas Donohue, president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “The out-of-date laws are stifling innovation and holding back forces that could revive the industry and create a boon for our economy.”
A broad rewrite of 1996 act could affect many sectors, including broadcast radio and TV, direct-to-home satellite radio and TV services, and cable’s offerings of TV, telephone and Internet services.
The 1996 act deregulated cable rates, loosened ownership strictures on broadcasters and allowed local phone companies to enter long distance markets, setting loose abrupt changes in telephone markets.
Since the act’s passage high-speed Internet connections have become common in American homes, offering phone and video services little imagined 10 years ago. |