what did telecommunications act of 1996 do
Get Your Act Together. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 was Americaâs first successful attempt at seriously reforming regulations on telephone and broadcasting companies in more than six decades. It was also the first piece of legislation to address Internet access in the United States.he Effects of the Telecom Act of 1996 on AT&T and the Telecommunications Industry â This article discusses the Act as a piece of legislation that deregulated the communications industry as a whole, but places particular emphasis on how it affected phone companies.