<em>The Telecommunications Act of 1996</em> was the first act to overhaul the telecommunication law. The act was passed to let anyone enter the communications business, to allow competition in communications business and implement single layer of regulation in the federal level.
It was passed by congress in January 1996, and president Bill Clinton signed it in February 1996. It allowed the companies who were serving the local market to enter the long distance market.
This deregulation broke the monopolies within the local exchange areas. The new regulations forced the local barriers to share the communications facilities with the competitors and ensured that each company was treated in an equitable and fair manner.
