Zarkin, Michael

About the author: Michael Zarkin earned an MA and PhD in Political Science from the University of Florida. His research interests are focused around various aspects of the telecommunications policymaking process. He is an assistant professor of political science at Westminster College in Salt Lake City.

Social Learning and the History of U.S. Telecommunications Policy, 1900-1996

2003 0-7734-6660-6
With the passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, Congress opened the door for an industry that was once heavily regulated to take bold steps in the directions of competition. Through an examination of nine major Federal Communications Commission rulemakings, more than fifteen 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. Scholars interested in telecommunications issues and developmental theories of policy change will find this book particularly engaging.