Talk:Universal service
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More recently, Congress sensed a growing technological and telecommunication divide between America's urban and rural regions. While basic telephone service is far more ubiquitous (nearly 95 percent of all U.S. households have telephone service today), higher bandwidth telecommunication services and Internet access were lacking. In part, the Telecommunications Act of 1996 was passed to improve telecommunication access to America's schools, libraries and rural health care providers, as well as promote open access and competition among telecommunication companies (telcos). Compared to urban settings, higher bandwidth services, such as ISDN, frame relay, and T-1, are often so expensive in rural regions their costs prohibit use. The 1996 Act created a mechanism of discounts to encourage higher bandwidth and Internet usage.[1]
Pulled from lead of article, could be put back in. Iamtfc 16:08, 2 October 2007 (UTC)
