The Problems of U.S. International Telecommunications Industry

The paper discusses several major perturbations in the U.S. owned international telecommunications industry which have arisen as a result of rapid technological progress. The impact on the industry of the introduction of wideband submarine cables and of the enactment of the Comsat Act are discussed. The problems that the industry faces in the areas of technology, policies and objectives, and organization and operation are analyzed. The underlying conflicts and the various aspects of competition and monopoly within the industry are also considered. The paper concludes that the U. S. international telecommunications industry as presently structured cannot fully and effectively respond to the requirements of the rapidly changing environment in which it operates.