Telecommunications

Telecommunications

People communicate via telephones and computers all the time. It’s a basic fact of life called telecommunications, but what exactly is it? How does telecommunication affect our daily lives?

Telecommunications, or telecom, is exchanging information over large distances. It includes various sectors that use a transmitter and a receiver. The signals transferred can be from a variety of mediums:

• Fiber
• Electromagnetic fields
• Light
• Cable
• And more

The public refers to telecommunications as a service provided by large corporations. They provide telecommunications to allow people and businesses to do everyday tasks.

So, what products are involved in telecommunications, and how does it affect American politics? Those questions and more will be answered in this article.

Telecommunications Products

People worldwide use telecommunication products every day. Most are using one right now. Some devices used for telecommunications are:

• Analog phones
• Conference phones
• Digital phones
• DECT phones
• IP phones
• Wireless devices
• SIP phones
• Internet service
• Satellite television service
• Mobile connectivity

Millions use these products and more to talk to friends and family over phones, broadcast and watch television shows, and upload and watch online videos on computers and other devices.

The Telecommunications Act of 1996 and Its Precursor

President Bill Clinton signed the Telecommunications Act of 1996 to reform telephone and broadcasting company regulations, encourage competition among various business industries, and make technological benefits and distance communication more readily available to the public. It was also the first act to address internet access in America.

The Telecommunications Act of 1996 was inspired by previous deregulation measures like the breakup of the Bell telephone monopoly in the 1980s. This act’s primary goal is to free up the telecommunications industry’s market and encourage competition among companies. However, the government thought some regulations were necessary to keep the competition fair among the companies.

Before this legislation, the Communications Act of 1934 established the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The FCC wanted to regulate every sector of the communication industry. It regulated telegraphs, radio, and telephone communications.

Then, as technology advanced, the FCC expanded its regulations to cable television and satellite industries. It did this by issuing broadcasting licenses, ensuring communication signals didn’t cross with each other, and fining broadcasting companies for violating rules.

Because of this, the FCC became more active in preventing explicit content from being broadcast on radio and television. Though it maintains some of these roles, the Telecommunications Act of 1996 eliminated some of the FCC’s previous roles.

The Importance of Telecommunications

As technology keeps on advancing, it’s necessary to improve telecommunications. The telecommunications industry is sensitive to change in technology and the economy. The telecommunications industry must adapt to stay volatile and competitive.

Some services telecommunications can work on are:

• Stronger cyber security to protect data and information
• Better and uninterrupted 5G coverage for never-ending connections
• Using artificial intelligence (AI) to speed up services

Telecommunications can flourish and become more readily available to millions with these improvements and other adaptations.

Sources:

https://www.mitel.com/articles/what-is-telecommunications

https://www.mitel.com/articles/telecommunications-act-1996

https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/careers/companies/telecommunications-industry/