U.S. Telco Industry History as a Prologue to its Future

Main Article Content

Carol C McDonough http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2578-0272

Keywords

net neutrality, technology, competition, monopoly, regulation

Abstract

The United States telco industry has been shaped by the interplay of technological advance, free enterprise, politics, public pressure, and government regulation. The history of the industry reveals a continuing tension between the forces of competition and concentration. Having coursed through eras of monopoly, competition, and regulated monopoly, the telcos are now in a more competitive arena. There is regulatory uncertainty on the issue of net neutrality.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.
Abstract 357 | PDF Downloads 25 HTML Downloads 0

References

Bornholz, R. & Evans, D. (1983). The Early History of Competition in the Telephone Industry, in Breaking Up Bell, Evans, D. (ed.) North-Holland.

Brock, G. (1981). The Telecommunications Industry, Harvard University Press. U.S.A.

Comcast Corporation Petitioner v. Federal Communications Commission and United States of America, Respondents (2010). Argued January 8, 2010. Decided April 6, 2010.

Federal Communications Commission (1968). In the Matter of Use of the Carterfone Device in Message Toll Telephone Service, 13 2d 420.

Federal Communications Commission (1975). Part 68 Rule.

Federal Communications Commission (1980). Computer Order II, 384, 4200 (1980), 47 CFR 64.702.

Federal Communications Commission (1998). Memorandum Opinion And Order, And Notice Of Proposed Rulemaking FCC 98-188.

Federal Communications Commission (2002). In re Inquiry Concerning High-Speed Access to the Internet Over Cable and Other Facilities: Internet Over Cable: Declaratory Ruling and Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 17 F.C.C.R. 4798.

Federal Communications Commission (2010). Open Internet Order.

Federal Communications Commission (2015). In the Matter of Protecting and Promoting the Open Internet, Washington, D.C. Adopted February 26, 2015, Released March 12, 2015.

Greene, H. (1981). Opinion (on Denial of Motion to Dismiss), 524 F. Supp. 1336 (September 11, 1981).

Hedge, J. (2006). “The Decline of Title II Common-Carrier Regulations in the Wake of Brand X: Long-Run Success for Consumers, Competition, and the Broadband Internet Market” Commlaw Conspectus, Vol. 14.

Horwitz, R. (1989). The Irony of Regulatory Reform, Oxford University Press.

Ismail, S. (2011). “Transformative Choices: A review of 70 years of F.C.C. Decisions,” Journal of Information Policy 1

Loeb, G. (1978). “The Communications Act Policy Toward Competition: A Failure to Communicate,” Duke Law Journal, Vol. 1978 March No. 1.

National Cable & Telecommunications Association v. Brand X Internet Services (2005). 125 S.Ct. at 2695-99.

Shaw, J. (2001). Telecommunications Deregulation and the Information Economy, Artech House.

Sterling, C, Bernt, P. & Weiss, M. (2006): Shaping American Telecommunications, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Supreme Court of the United States (2005). National Cable &Telecommunications Association et al. v. Brand X Internet Services Et al. No. 04-277. Argued March 29, 2005-Decided June 27, 2005.

U.S. Congress (1934). Communications Act of 1934, June 19, 1934.

U.S. Congress (1996). Telecommunications Act of 1996, January 3, 1996.

U.S. Court of Appeals, D.C. (1956). Hush-A-Phone v. Federal Communications Commission and the United States of America, 238 F.2nd 266.

U.S. Court of Appeals, D.C. (2010). Comcast Corporation, Petitioner v. Federal Communications Commission and United States of America. ). No.08-1291. Argued January 8, 2010. Decided April 6, 2010.

U.S. Court of Appeals, D.C. (2014). Verizon Corp. Petitioner v. Federal Communications Commission, 740 F. 3d 623, 2014.

U.S. Court of Appeals, D.C. (2016). United States Telecom Association, et al., v. Federal Communications Commission, No. 15-1063, U.S. Court of Appeals, D.C. Decided June 14, 2016.

U.S. Telecom (2015). Retrieved from https://www.ustelecom.org/broadband-industry/broadband-industry-stats/investment.

Vail, T. (1907). AT&T Annual Report.
Verizon Communications Inc. (2006) International Directory of Company Histories, Thomson Gale.

Yoo, C. (2014). U.S. vs. European Broadband Deployment: What Do the Data Say?, Penn Law Center for Technology, Innovation and Competition, June 2014.