US Telecommunications Law

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the regulation of the provision of telecommunications services and the operation of telecommunications networks in the US, principally in the fixed, cable, and mobile sectors, but satellite regulation is briefly touched upon. The chapter begins by giving a brief history of US telecommunications regulation, and provides an overview of the numerous governmental bodies involved in the regulation of the US telecommunications market. It summarizes the licensing requirements under the Communications Act of 1934, and briefly explains the US approach to certain key regulatory issues in the EU: access and interconnection, spectrum management, broadband, universal service, the application of competition law to the sector, and communications privacy. It concludes with a discussion of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)'s regulation of IP-enabled services.