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Other areas of the world are seeing a decrease in regulation. In the United States, Congress significantly altered the regulation of media with the Telecommunications Reform Act of 1996.30 31 Previously, various telecommunications agents had defined realms—telephony, radio, et. al. Local and long distance companies were not allowed to compete against each other while cable companies had monopoly (an economic situation in which one firm supplies the entire market) status.32 Conversely, the 1996 statute allowed local and long distance providers to compete with each other.33 It also allowed cable companies to offer local service while allowing television and radio broadcasters to own more stations.34
Further deregulation was attempted in June 2003 when the FCC approved new rules35 36 that would have removed or loosened limits on ownership of media within a given market. However, that decision was overturned37 and stands.38 39
30 Telecommunications Act of 1996. Federal Communications Commission. http://www.fcc.gov/telecom.html
31 Other significant US federal telecommunications laws are Radio Act of 1927, Communications Act of 1934, Cable Communications Policy Act of 1984, and Cable Television Consumer Protection and Competition Act of 1992.
32 Wasserstein, Bruce. Big Deal: Mergers and Acquisitions in the Digital Age. p. 13.
35 Merging Media. Online News Hour.
36 Finberg, Howard. “Enter the Matrix: The FCC’s New Rules.” Poynter Online.
37 see: Prometheus Radio Project vs. FCC in the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
38 Ahrens, Frank. “FCC Drops Bid to Relax Media Rules.” Washington Post. 28 January 2005: A01
39 Labaton, Stephen. “U.S. Backs Off Relaxing Rules for Big Media.” The New York Times. 28 January 2005
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