Telephone Companies Go to Battle Over the Internet

Authors

• Peter C. Salaverry

Abstract

Entering the twenty-first century, Americans, like most people around the world, regard the Internet as a free and unregulated means of communication. Naive to its origins, many individuals surf the Internet unaware of the debates concerning its regulation.

In March 1996, America's Carriers Telecommunication Association (ACTA), a trade association of roughly 130 long-distance carriers, petitioned the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to confirm "its authority over interstate and international telecommunications services using the Internet." More specifically, the ACTA petition requested that the FCC enjoin software distributors of long-distance telephone software and other providers of non-tariffed and uncertified entities, compelling them to "immediately stop their unauthorized provisioning of telecommunications services."

The FCC, besieged by the daunting task of having eighty days to institute the Telecommunications Act of 1996 (TelAct96) passed by the 104 Congress, issued a public notice on the Internet requesting interested parties to file comments either opposing or supporting the ACTA petition by April 8, 1996. The response was overwhelming, and the different views are discussed and analyzed in this article. The FCC's ruling on the ACTA petition is due in late Fall 1998. In an effort to predict the fate of the ACTA petition, this article analyzes the major arguments it presents.

Recommended Citation

Peter C. Salaverry, Telephone Companies Go to Battle Over the Internet, 2 Computer L. Rev. & Tech. J. 53 (1998)