[865] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
Common Carriers
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Jay Habegger)
Thu Jun 20 11:56:22 1991
Date: Thu, 20 Jun 1991 09:52 MST
From: Jay Habegger <HABEGGER_J@bronze.Colorado.EDU>
To: com-priv@psi.com
Cc: will@cup.portal.com
X-Envelope-To: com-priv@psi.com
X-Vms-To: IN"com-priv@psi.com"
A common carrier is indeed a person or corporation that transports people
or goods for hire, but under U.S. communications law (1934 Act) labeling
a communications firm, or service, a common carrier invokes a special
set of regulations, i.e. common carriers must have a certificate ofs
public necessity and convenience issued by the state public utilities
commission if intrastate and by the FCC if interstate and common carriers
are usually subject to rate regulation. Common carrier in the communications
arena doesn't imply monopoly, but that has traditionally been the case
because regulators cozy with the carriers are reluctant to award another
certificate.
- Jay Habegger
