The United States has taken the first steps to review its Communications Act, which had its last overhaul in 1996.
According to an article on The Hill, the US Act didn’t look at the Internet in a “forward looking” manner.
Representatives Fred Upton and Greg Walden, who head up the US House Energy and Commerce Committee and communications and technology subcommittee released a white paper to kick off the review process. According to The Hill:
The committee’s white paper also criticized the “siloed” nature of the current law, which has different rules for different kinds of communications. This has created a problem with providers that now offer, for example, combined communication services, such as making calls through an Internet connection.
Silos? In Canada, we have different Acts for Telecom versus Broadcasting. Both Acts pre-date the 1996 US Communications Act; the Telecom Act dates back to 1993 and the Broadcast Act precedes it by two years. Further silos are created by other Acts, such as the Radiocommunications Act.
Perhaps it is time for a holistic review of the governance of the sector?