telecom reform

10:04 am on March 23, 2026 · 2026 (252), fcc (92), telecom (19), telecom reform (5)

Mar 17 2026 – FCC – 30th Anniversary of the 96 Act Webinar – What Did We Learn?

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ISOC LIVE

ISOC LIVE
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On March 17, 2026 the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) hosted ‘30th Anniversary of the 96 Act Webinar – What Did We Learn?‘. Three panel conversations featured communications and technology policy experts that lived through the creation and implementation of the Telecommunications Act of 1996.

The Congressional passage of the Act, and the subsequent FCC implementation, was the last major effort by the federal government to construct a new regulatory framework for the technology, media, and telecommunications sector., serving to drive competition, innovation, and investment into faster, better, and cheaper technology, and to increased economic growth and expanded connectivity for consumers.

At a moment when innovation is accelerating at an ever-increasing pace, the critical issues regulators currently face include artificial intelligence, media, competition, convergence, access, and cybersecurity, the purpose of these panels is to consider how the lessons from 30 years ago can be used to drive innovation and competition for the benefit of consumers today.

01 Opening Remarks – Brendan Carr


Brendan Carr – Chair, Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
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02 Introduction – Anna M. Gomez


Anna M. Gomez – Commissioner, Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
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03 Panel 1: The Legislative Process That Led to the Act


Katie King – Former Special Counsel, Federal Communications Commission
Gina Keeney – Founder, Keeney Consulting
John Windhausen Jr. – President, Telepoly
Moderator: John T. Nakahata – Partner, Harris, Wiltshire & Grannis LLP
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04 Panel 2: FCC Implementation of the Act


Richard Metzger – Partner, Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLP
Richard Welch – Senior Counsel, Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLP
Greg Rosston – Director, Stanford Public Policy Program
Christopher J. Wright – Partner, Wiltshire & Grannis LLP
Moderator: Ruth Milkman – Founding Partner, Quadra Partners LLC
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05 Panel 3: Today’s Challenges


Robert Pepper – Senior Fellow, Global Digital Inclusion Partnership
Howard Shelanski – Professor of Law, Georgetown University Law Center
Robert M. McDowell – Partner, Cooley LLP
Tom Wheeler – Visiting Fellow, Brookings Institution
Moderatot: Anna M. Gomez – Commissioner, Federal Communications Commission
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06 Closing Remarks – Anna M. Gomez


Anna M. Gomez – Commissioner, Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
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#FCC #96act #telecomact30 #telecomact #telecom

8:44 am on February 24, 2015 · dave farber (13), lsrry doenes (1), mcdonough (3), telecom (19), telecom reform (5)

WEBCAST TODAY: Rewriting the Communications Act: An Introductory Event @GeorgetownCBPP #CommActUpdate #Gtownpolicy

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mcdonoughToday Tuesday February 24 2015 the Georgetown University McDonough School of Business presents Rewriting the Communications Act: An Introductory Event. After more than a year of preparation, all eyes are on Capitol Hill in 2015 as Congress prepares to undertake one of its most important tasks affecting a significant part of the digital economy: rewriting the Communications Act of 1934. In keeping with the Center’s staying ahead of the issues at the nexus of business and public policy, the Center’s Evolution of Regulation and Innovation Project is pleased to announce the first of a series of convenings focused on eliciting the best ideas for how a new regime for the tech, media and broadband sectors should look. A panel of experts will address the technology, economic, political, and policy contexts of the current Congressional efforts, offer different perspectives that will identify common ground among parties that will be affected by a rewrite, explore areas of significant uncertainty, and elucidate the policy drivers that will shape the work ahead. Keynote address: David Farber, Distinguished Career Professor of Computer Science and Public Policy, School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University. Panel: Larry Downes, Project Director, Georgetown Center for Business and Public Policy Project on the Evolution of Regulation and Innovation; Peter Rysavy, President and Founder, Rysavy Research; Glenn Woroch, Adjunct Professor, University of California, Berkeley and Senior Policy Scholar, Georgetown Center for Business and Public Policy; John W. Mayo, Professor of Business, Economics and Public Policy, Georgetown University and Executive Director, Georgetown Center for Business and Public Policy;
Moderator: Carolyn Brandon, Senior Industry and Innovation Fellow, Georgetown Center for Business and Public Policy. The event will be webcast live.

What: Rewriting the Communications Act: An Introductory Event
Where: Georgetown University McDonough School of Business, Washington DC
When: Tuesday February 24 2015 9am-11am EST | 14:00-16:00 UTC
Webcast: http://cbpp.georgetown.edu/2015/02/23/communications-act-live-streamed/
Twitter: #CommActUpdate | #Gtownpolicy

12:28 pm on April 13, 2013 · berkman (20), congress (9), copyright (79), copyright reform (4), derek khanna (2), dmca (6), policy (40), telecom reform (5)

VIDEO: Derek Khanna on Disruptive Innovation in Washington, DC @DerekKhanna @BerkmanCenter #copyright

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On April 9 2013 the Berkman Center hosted Derek Khanna talking about Disruptive Innovation in Washington, DC. Khanna gained notoriety late in 2012 after his paper ‘Three Myths about Copyright Reform and How to Fix it.‘ for the Republican Study Committee was later repudiated. This year he notably pushed the successful White House petition against cell phone unlocking prohibition, and spoke at Freedom-to-Connect. In this talk Khanna presents a strategy to address real and systemic problems related to technology and antiquated legislation, by re-framing the policy questions, winning small battles, and developing a working coalition to achieve positive technology policy reforms in an otherwise complacent Congress.

3:10 pm on February 12, 2013 · fiber (26), Susan Crawford (26), telecom reform (5)

VIDEO: Susan Crawford on Moyers & Company #captiveaudience #broadband @scrawford

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Susan Crawford, author of Captive Audience: The Telecom Industry and Monopoly Power in the New Gilded Age was interviewed on the Moyers & Company that aired on PBS on Sunday Feb 10 2013. The show was called ‘Who’s Widening America’s Digital Divide‘. The video is below. It has closed captions.

8:08 am on February 7, 2013 · broadband (121), gigabit nation (2), hunter newby (4), muni (10), Susan Crawford (26), telecom reform (5)

AUDIO: Hunter Newby on Gigabit Nation #captiveaudience #newnetworks #fcc #fiber

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2374headcraig_talkradio_fnl_1 On Wednesday February 6 2013, Allied Fiber CEO Hunter Newby – a good friend of ISOC-NY, appeared on Craig Settles’ Gigabit Nation Internet radio show. Ostensibly the topic How Would a Susan Crawford FCC Chairmanship Impact Broadband‘ was recent proposals that Obama appoint Susan Crawford as the next FCC Chair, and Newby strongly supports the idea, feeling that she uniquely has the savvy and perception to carry through the necessary changes to overcome the current inertia. The conversation soon went into further detail of ways and means. Needless to say, Hunter advocates open access to rights of way, and that municipalities lay dark fiber systems in their neighborhoods, for utilization by both incumbents and newcomers. It’s a good listen.