Must Revisit Telecom Policy Swift advances in telecommunications technology are about to give Congress new headaches, experts agree. Now it's going to be forced to deal with it again. And there are very real repercussions for business.
Experts say that development of broadband service outside the cable industry has been slow.
Local phone and cable companies say that because the Telecom Act requires them to share their networks with competitors, they can't make enough money to justify upgrading their systems for widespread broadband access offerings. Regional Bells want to ship data long distances at high speeds. And they want to do so without sharing access to those new lines. But that runs afoul of the Telecom Act, which doesn't let Baby Bells enter the long-distance market until they open their local services to competitors. Investor's Business Daily, September 22, 1999.