Product Description: With the passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, congress opened the door for an industry, once heavily regulated, to take bold steps in the direction of competition. Through an examination of nine major Federal Communications Commission rulemakings, more than 15 years of legislative activity in Congress, and several other policy decisions undertaken during the 20th century, this study argues that the Telecommunications Act was part of a process of social learning in which federal regulators entered an enduring mindset of competition beginning in the late 1970s...read more