The Nixon Presidential Library and the National Archives co-presented Launching the Telecommunications Revolution: The Story of the Office of Telecommunications Policy. In 1970, the office was tasked with eliminating burdensome regulations and introducing market-based opportunities to American telecommunications — paving the way for satellite and cable television. In 1969, only three television networks and only one company, AT&T, provided all telecommunications services except for video. This changed when a young visionary named Clay “Tom” Whitehead created a revolution in human communication through his leadership of the OTP. Clemson economist Thomas Hazlett is part of the panel discussing this important if little-known, historical policy reform. Watch the C-SPAN video of the event.
