This completely revised and updated edition includes a comprehensive look at the Telecommunications Act of 1996, its sweeping reforms, and the short-term increase in TC regulation complexity resulting from its passage. An Introduction to U.S. Telecommunications Law, Second Edition is a concise, jargon-free reference describing how electronic media and telecommunications companies are required to price their services, interconnect with customers and other service providers, and respond to competition. Learn how the rapid advance of telecommunications technology has drastically altered regulations first developed when TC meant fixed networks, copper wire and mechanical switches. Since this book first appeared, new telecommunications systems such as Internet telephony have greatly impacted telecommunications law in local, state, and national jurisdictions, and the new edition addresses these changes. Using simple case studies to show how courts and regulators affect business decisions, this convenient, single-volume source is indispensable for all telecommunications managers and enables members of corporate legal departments to learn more about regulatory and legal issues outside their areas of specialization. And in the wake of the passage of the 1996 Telecommunications Act, learn how decisions by the FCC, state utilities commissions and federal courts have further complicated the regulatory clutter the Act was supposed to sweep aside.
Introduction. Incumbent Local Exchange Carriers. Forbearance and the Decline of Common Carrier Regulation. How Much May an ILEC Charge for Exchange and Exchange Access Services? How Much May an ILEC Charge for New or Competitive Services? When, and on What Terms, Must an ILEC Interconnect its Facilities with Those of Other Service Providers? The Bell Operating Companies - Dismantling the AT&T Divestiture Decree, How Bell Operating Companies May Enter Competitive Markets Under the 1996 Telecommunications Act. Competing Local Exchange Carriers . How Do CLECs Become Licensed to Offer Service? Interexchange Carriers - Slamming and Regulation of Customer Selection of IXCs. Pay Telephones and Operator Service Providers. Commercial Mobile Radio Service and Private Mobile Radio Service Providers. Internet Access and Content Providers. Support for Universal Service. Regulation of Cable Television. Regulation of Satellite Services. Foreign Ownership and FCC Regulation of International Telecommunications. Appendix: The Economic Background of Telecommunications Law.
-
Charles H. Kennedy
Charles H. Kennedy is an attorney with Morrison and Foerster, LLP. Mr. Kennedy is the author of three popular books on the law of electronic communications, including An Introduction to U.S. Telecommunications Law, Second Edition (Artech House, 2001). He is a graduate of The University of Chicago Law School.