Proposals for Revision of the Communications Act of 1934: Telecommunications Issues Page: 7 of 21
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CI5- S B1l50 UPDATE-ll/19/82
-- should patents developed from research financed primarily t
regulated telephone rates be made available to the public without charg
-- what effect the divestiture and reorganization of the local ope
companies will have on employee wages, pensions and other nego
benefits.
-- how to remedy remaining national defense and emergency issues su
the transfer of equipment and personnel among unrelated entities
emergencies and the payment for such services.
-- how will inter-exchange equipment manufactures compete with W
electric if AT&T. the major purchaser of inter-exchange equipment i
required to provide equal access to technical information for the netwo
all competitors.
-- what effect terms of the settlement will have on the regulatory r
the FCC and the State Public Utility Commissions and what will b
ramifications for the industry.
-- the effect of the entrance of AT&T on other industries i
communications and information field (e.g., cable, data processing
computers) and whether a transmitter should -also be a provider of inform
services.
Many feel that the Justice Department settlement does not negate the
for legislation. Additional measures addressing some of these concerns
been introduced by Members of Congress and hearings on the ramificatic
the Justice Dept. settlement were held this session by both chambers.
Although the need to revise the 1934 Communications Act and se
framework for a new national telecommunications policy incorpo
technological change and the entrance of competition is not disputed
manner in which this should be accomplished has been a subject of sign
controversy. The controversies presently surrounding such a revision
on two major issues: (1) the scope and extent of the legislation need
this time; and (2) the necessity for, and the content of, specific stru
and behavioral provisions and their impact on the suppliers and users i
industry.
In the past there has been little disagreement over the need for Co
to develop some form of comprehensive legislation to revise the outdate
Communications Act. The recently announced settlement or the AT&T/JDepartment antitrust suit, however, has brought into question the A
necessity for the enactment of a major legislative initiative. Due t
settlement's required major restructuring of the Bell System an
potential impact on the telecommunications industry's structure, some s
question the desirability of the enactment of a major legislative propo
this time, while others feel that such a restructruing makes the enactm
an immediate legislative vehicle more imperative.
In addition to the basic controversy over the scope of the legislati
considerable amount of controversy has been generated regarding the nee
and the impact of, specific provisions contained in H.?. 5159. Al
there are many provisions contained in the legislation that address v
telecommunications concerns, perhaps those that seek to modify the ter
the proposed AT&P-Justice Departent settlement have attracted the
attention. Although the settlement's terms have been subjectthrough
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Gilroy, Angele A. Proposals for Revision of the Communications Act of 1934: Telecommunications Issues, report, November 19, 1982; Washington D.C.. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs8789/m1/7/?rotate=90: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.