The US is looking at an overhaul of its communications law with lawmakers saying current legislation on the internet is outdated. The Energy and Commerce committee of the House of Representatives published a white paper pinpointing flaws in the Communications Act which was last updated in 1996 and asking for opinions.
A statement said that the law needed to be modernised to ensure that 'the communications and technology sectors, the bright spot of our national economy, have laws and regulations that foster continued innovation and job creation.' It criticised the 'siloed' sector-based nature of the current law and resulting regulation. And it sdaid that a consequence of the technology-focused approach of the Act was regulatory uncertainty 'with respect of FCC authority to regulate aspects of the Internet within US borders. Because the regulatory approach varies depending on the classification of a service, data-based services such as the Internet and VoIP have presented classification challenges for the Commission.'
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