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From the text of the Telecommunications Act of 1996: (b) POLICY- It is the policy of the United States-- (1) to promote the continued development of
by jimrandomh 9y ago
From the text of the Telecommunications Act of 1996:
(b) POLICY- It is the policy of the United States--
(1) to promote the continued development of the Internet and
other interactive computer services and other interactive media;
(2) to preserve the vibrant and competitive free market that
presently exists for the Internet and other interactive
computer services, unfettered by Federal or State regulation;
(3) to encourage the development of technologies which
maximize user control over what information is received by
individuals, families, and schools who use the Internet and
other interactive computer services;
Congress knew about and was thinking about the internet. As for the distinction between information services and telecommunication services, here's the definition of an information service, from the bill:
(41) INFORMATION SERVICE- The term `information service' means the offering of a capability for generating, acquiring, storing, transforming, processing, retrieving, utilizing, or making available information via telecommunications, and includes electronic publishing, but does not include any use of any such capability for the management, control, or operation of a telecommunications system or the management of a telecommunications service.
The relationship between them is that an information service generates data, while a telecommunications provider moves data between two parties. So Facebook and Amazon are information services, while ISPs are telecommunication services.
- twoodfin 9y agoOf course Congress knew about the internet. The whole purpose of the act was to create a new regulatory regime for internet services that wouldn't suffer from the legacy of Ma Bell, but also wouldn't allow telecom companies to rebrand traditional phone service in such a way as to escape longstanding access and service requirements. Hence the information/telecommunications distinction. Facebook doesn't provide an information service, it's an endpoint of one.
- jimrandomh 9y agoThe definition of an information service is (41) INFORMATION SERVICE- The term `information service' means the offering of a capability for generating, acquiring, storing, transforming, processing, retrieving, utilizing, or making available information via telecommunications, and includes electronic publishing, but does not include any use of any such capability for the management, control, or operation of a telecommunications system or the management of a telecommunications service. Facebook stores, transforms, and makes available information, so it's an information service.
- qb45 9y ago> Facebook doesn't provide an information service, it's an endpoint of one. It provides information service at an endpoint of a telecommunication service. To me this bill reads rather like an attempt at codification of the "smart endpoints, dumb transport" principle and decoupling of "content" from ISPs. Consider: (2) to preserve the vibrant and competitive free market that presently exists for the Internet and other interactive computer services, unfettered by Federal or State regulation; If you know something about the history of this bill which contradicts this interpretation please elaborate.