ONGOING REFORM OF US TELECOMMUNICATIONS POLICY

In February 1996, the U.S. Congress passed the Telecommunications Act of 1996. This bill marks a fundamental change in the regulatory paradi gm for telecommunications from one of protecting monopoly to one of pr omoting competition. This article surveys some of the major components of regulatory reform set in motion by the bill, particularly the unbu ndling of local exchange telephone networks in order to facilitate com petitive entry. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.