Statement of Assistant Secretary of Commerce Lawrence E. Strickling on the Twentieth Anniversary of the Telecommunications Act of 1996

“Twenty years ago today President Clinton signed the 1996 Telecommunications Act into law, removing regulatory barriers for our nation’s communications companies and fueling investment in broadband networks.  Since this time, we have witnessed an incredible transformation of our communications landscape.  As we look forward to the future, we must continue to support innovation and economic growth by strengthening competition and the free flow of information.  In today’s fast-changing digital economy, multistakeholder processes are the most nimble and effective means for addressing our most pressing policy challenges.  At NTIA, we are working to leverage multistakeholder processes to address today’s new policy issues.”