How well did theTelecommunications Act of 1996 respond to consumer demands?
"Any member of Congress who thinks that communications law should be rewritten should first read A Tough Act to Follow."
—Hon. Thomas J. Bliley Jr., former chairman, House Committee on Commerce
"For anyone who has ever wondered why some government agencies are impervious to public criticism, Harold Furchtgott-Roth has the answer. In a cynical mercenary field, telecommunications, Furchtgott-Roth stands out as an honest broker. Read Harold."
—Amity Shlaes, syndicated columnist
"Harold Furchtgott-Roth was an active participant in the policy debate and political compromises that led to enactment of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which promised to substitute healthy market competition for the anticonsumer maze of laws and regulations that preceded it. His analysis of the sad failure of the new law to bring needed reforms is a useful lesson in the difficulties that attend efforts to make regulated industries more responsive to consumer interests."
—Bruce M. Owen, Morris M. Doyle Centennial Professor in Public Policy and Director, Public Policy Program, School of Humanities and Sciences, Stanford University, and Gordon Cain Senior Fellow, Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research
"This book evaluates the FCC’s successes and failures in implementing watershed legislation to deregulate the telecommunications industry. Harold Furchtgott-Roth’s intellectual rigor and real-world experience in government deliver stunning insights into the interplay of politics, economics, and law in the modern regulatory state. This book is required reading for any student of administrative law, public choice, and the regulation of industry."
—J. Gregory Sidak, visiting professor of law, Georgetown University