JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org. This content downloaded from 130.179.The current wave of telecommunications reform is by no means limited to the U.S. market. However, the international trend towards increased competition owes a great deal to the efforts of the United States. As the FCC liberalized the U.S. domestic market in international telecommunications services, U.S. carriers pressed for opportunities to provide national and international services in other countries. Moreover, U.S. multinational telecommunications users sought access to the networks and services offoreign telecommunications operators and the right to offer "value-added" services themselves. Eventually, the U.S. Government took up the cause, and the tide began to turn toward liberalization in a host offoreign markets.In this Article, Mr. Harwood, Mr. Lake, and Mr. Sohn provide a comprehensive overview of U.S. policies in the area of international telecommunications-policies aimed at promoting abroad the same types of liberalization measures the United States has adopted domestically. Specifically, the authors examine two mutually reinforcing strategies the United States has used to induce other countries to open their telecommunications markets. The Executive Branch has negotiated several multilateral market access agreements, most notably the recent World Trade Organization pact on basic telecommunications services. At the same time, the FCC has used its power over the licensing and ownership of telecommunications service providers in the United States as leverage to prod individual countries to open up theirforeign markets. Looking ahead, Harwood, Lake, and Sohn conclude that the U.S. efforts have helped to create strong momentum for procompetitive reforms abroad, which should result in lower prices and more varied services for consumers.
During the 1970s and 1980s, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) strove to increase competition in international telecommunications services originating in the United States as a natural complement to its policy of increasing competition in domestic services. This policy brought substantial benefits to U.S. consumers of interna-* Mr. Harwood and Mr. Lake are partners and Mr. Sohn is an associate in the Washington, D.C. office of Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering. 874 This content downloaded from 130.179.16.201 on Fri, 01 Jan 2016 07:37:12 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONStional telecommunications services, especially U.S. multinational businesses with sites throughout the world, as prices dropped and U.S. international carriers increasingly tailored their offerings to meet the needs of their customers. Liberalization also provided business opportunities for...