Hudson Holds Hearing on Modernizing Telecommunications Law 30 Years After Landmark Reform

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congressman Richard Hudson (NC-09), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, held a hearing to review the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and examine how Congress can modernize communications policy for today's economy.

"The Telecommunications Act was a huge milestone when it was enacted. It was the first major rewrite of communications policy since the Communications Act of 1934," said Rep. Hudson. "The world of 1996 looks nothing like the world of today, and it's time that we update our laws to reflect that."

WHAT: Subcommittee hearing to review the 1996 Telecommunications Act

DATE: Thursday, March 26, 2026

TIME: 10:15 AM ET

LOCATION: 2123 Rayburn House Office Building

Why this matters:

• The 1996 law unleashed competition and innovation by breaking down monopoly-era barriers
• It established universal service principles critical to rural communities
  It included Section 230, which helped create today's internet economy
• It failed to anticipate the rise of broadband and modern communications technologies
• Today's framework still relies on outdated regulatory structures that do not reflect how Americans communicate

Watch Chairman Hudson's full remarks here.

Watch his questions to witnesses here.

The hearing was open to the public and press and will be livestreamed at energycommerce.house.gov.