Beyond Preemption: Lessons from the 1996 Telecom Act

If you squint at today’s AI policy debates, you may see the Telecommunications Act of 1996 in the distance.

In this conversation, Matt Perault, head of AI policy, a16z, sits down with Adam Thierer, resident senior fellow, technology and innovation, R Street Institute, and Blair Levin, policy analyst, New Street Research and non-resident senior associate, Center for Strategic and International Studies, to revisit their first-hand experience tackling a similarly significant moment in tech policy: a small number of incumbents with entrenched market power, a messy patchwork of federal and local rules, and misaligned governing authority. The result then was federal preemption coupled with a comprehensive national framework for telecommunications—all through a bipartisan deal.

See the full interview here.