Academic Says Title II Regulation of Phone Service Must End
A federal court's dismissal last week of the FCC's net neutrality rules (see 2501020028) raises the question of why traditional phone service still faces strict Title II regulation when modern phone networks are increasingly integrated with the internet, International Center…
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for Law & Economics Senior Scholar Eric Fruits wrote Monday. A minority of U.S. households have a landline phone, and platforms like Microsoft Teams and Zoom have largely replaced traditional phone calls, he added. Meanwhile, traditional carriers' networks handle integrated voice, video and data services. As such, modern communications is stuck in an antiquated regulatory framework, prompting the need for Congress to move telecom services into the Title I rules regime governing information services, Fruits argued. This "would level the regulatory playing field, enabling traditional carriers to compete more effectively with internet-based platforms," and encourage infrastructure investment by reducing compliance costs and regulatory uncertainty, he added. A universal service goal could be maintained under Title I, and the FCC could still implement targeted consumer protections through its Title I powers.