Fundamentals of Telecommunications

Telecommunications
Environment & Policy

Elizabeth Lane Lawley,

Instructor

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The telecommunications
environment

Global
Fluid
Complex
Convergent

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Historical context
1837: the telegraph
1876: the
telephone
1941: first
computer/telephon
e connection
1947: the transistor
1956: first transAtlantic cable
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1957: first satellite

1969: Arpanet
1975: first personal
computer (Altair
kit)
1986: NSFNet, first
FreeNet
1991: WWW
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Regulatory Environment
Telecom has been government
regulated through most of the
twentieth century
Since 1983, there has been a swing
from near-complete regulation to
deregulation and competition

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Types of Regulation
Federal (FCC, NTIA, Congress,
Justice)
State (PSC/PUC)
Local

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Why Regulation?
Ensure compatibility and universality
Protect companies
Prevent interference

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Regulation Milestones

1910:
1921:
1934:
1971:
1982:
1981:
1987:
1996:

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Mann-Elkins Act (ICC)

Graham Act (AT&T monopoly)
Communications Act of 1934 (FCC)
Computer Inquiry I (nothing)
Modified Final Judgment (AT&T)
Computer Inquiry II (enhanced service)
Computer Inquiry III (ONA)
Telecommunications Act of 1996
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Deregulation
Establishment of PSCs (PUCs) began
in 1907, shifted more responsibility
to states
Motivation for deregulation is to
increase competition, reduce costs

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Telecommunications Act
of 1996
Telephone service: new universal service
rules, competition in local & long distance
Telecom equipment manufacturing: allows
Baby Bells into market
Cable TV: Increased competition, rate
deregulation
Radio/TV: Relaxed ownership rules, V-chip
Online: Communications Decency Act
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Global Telecom
Environment
Regulation varies from country to
country
Trans-border data flow is difficult to
restrict, enforce
Who owns the airwaves? The sky?
Space?

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Escalating Speed of
Change
Rapid dissemination of technological
advances pushes the regulatory and
technical environment
Policy-makers are seldom technologically
sophisticated
How do we handle the Internet? Cellular
and digital communications? Proliferation
of multiple lines per household/business?
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Impact of the Internet

Trans-border data flow exceptionally difficult
to monitor
How do we define local standards online?
New technologies threaten traditional
telecommunications carriers
How do we characterize/regulate technologies
like Internet telephony?
Internet grew up without regulatory oversight;
adding it after the fact is extremely difficult
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Standards
Primarily voluntary, market-driven
ANSI (American National Standards
Institute)
ISO (International Organization for
Standardization)
ITU (Intl Telecommunications Union,
ne CCITT)
IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force)
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