Telecommunications Act of 1996
Official title: “To promote competition and reduce regulation in order to secure lower prices and higher quality services for American telecommunications consumers and encourage the rapid deployment of new telecommunications technologies.”
Earlier names of the bill: “Communications Act of 1995”, “Telecommunications Competition and Deregulation Act of 1995”.
What this law changes
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Transparency Score
The Transparency Score is the share of this law’s dollars that goes to what the law says it is for. We have not read this law for this section yet.
What this law changes in taxes
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Press releases by members of Congress
From a secondary sourceThese are press releases from members' official websites that name this law. We save a copy of each one.
1 press release
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“Congress set the national broadcast ownership cap in statute via Section 202(c)(1)(B) of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-104) and further strengthened this cap via the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2004 (Public Law 108–199). The ownership cap currently stands at 39 percent of U.S. TV households, after applying the FCC’s ultra-high-frequency (UHF) discount.”
Read from 539 of 539 members' sites, releases since January 3, 2025, through October 8, 2026.
Press releases by organizations
No saved press release from these organizations names this law.
Read from 510 of 510 organizations' sites, releases since January 3, 2025, through October 8, 2026.
How it passed
The House passed it 414 to 16 on February 1, 1996, with 4 members who did not vote.
The Senate passed it 91 to 5 on February 1, 1996, with 3 senators who did not vote.
It became law on February 8, 1996.
The question on the official record: House, “On Agreeing to the Conference Report”. Senate, “On the Conference Report S. 652”.
| Chamber and party | Yes | No | Present | Did not vote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| House Republicans | 236 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| House Democrats | 178 | 15 | 0 | 4 |
| House independents | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Senate Republicans | 51 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Senate Democrats | 40 | 4 | 0 | 2 |
How each member voted
533 members. Select a name to see that member's votes on laws that passed.
Where this comes from
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