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Telecommunication policy includes virtually everything that an
information society uses to convey facts and ideas—one reason
why the more inclusive term "communication and information"
services is becoming more commonly used than the term "telecommunication"
services. Telecommunication policy enshrined in the Telecommunications
Act of 1996 covers telephones, wireless telephony, ham radios, cable
TV, computers, the Internet, broadcast radio, broadcast TV, distance
learning, telemedicine, satellite communications, interstate trade,
public morality over the airwaves, cross-ownership of media, telecommunication
equipment manufacturing, and many other communication and information
economic activities partially or in their entirety.
Federal policy addresses economic efficiency and equity. The policy
intends to facilitate the development and adoption of new communication
and information technology while addressing the universal availability
of communication services. The primary policy vehicle is the Telecommunications
Act of 1996, which was the first comprehensive rewrite of the Communications
Act of 1934. The Act modified previous legislation, such as the
1934 Communications Act, Cable Act of 1992, and judicial actions,
such as the early 1982 consent decree in the breakup of Ma Bell
(AT&T).
The provisions of the 1996 Act fall primarily into five major
areas:
- Telephone service delivery
- Telecommunications equipment manufacture
- Cable television service delivery
- Radio and television broadcasting
- Internet and online computer service delivery
In each of these areas the Act relaxed concentration and merger
rules for telecommunication companies, eliminated cross-market entry
barriers, and assigned new implementation obligations to the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC). The Act was created to achieve
the following goals:
- To carry out the transition of the telecommunications
industry from a heavily regulated market to one based on competition
- To improve the telecommunications network so that consumers
are able to send and receive voice, data, images, and video at
affordable rates
- To promote economic growth, creating jobs, and increasing
productivity
- To further advance universal service to help deliver educational,
health care, and other social services
Government policy further addresses economic equity by a number
of means, including:
- Telemedicine provisions. These provisions are covered
in a number of different Federal and State programs. USDA's program
provides small loans and grants to rural health service providers.
The program aims to improve telemedicine communication and infrastructure
for rural communities. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 provides
funding through its universal service program provisions.
- Distance learning provisions. There are a number of Federal,
State, and local programs designed to aid in the provision of
distance learning programs. For rural communities, the programs'
goals are the improvement of education programs by increasing
the breadth and depth of course curricula. USDA is one of the
Federal Departments active in this area. USDA provides small loans
and grants to rural community education providers. The Telecommunications
Act of 1996 provides funding through its universal service program
provisions.
- 2002 Farm Bill provisions. The 2002 Farm Bill's Rural
Development Title, (Rural Development Title IV) provided for
a number of telecommunication programs. The legislation renewed
the USDA Rural Utilities Programs in the telemedicine and distance
learning program that were created in earlier Farm Bills. In addition,
a pilot program for providing loans for companies bringing broadband
facilities to rural communities became a full-fledged program.
The program is designed to improve access to broadband services.
Funding for the Launching Our Communities' Access to Local Television
Act (of 2000), designed to facilitate local television access
in rural communities, was also included. Two new programs, rural
telework and rural e-commerce extension, were established by the
2002 Farm Bill.
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