Cable Communications Policy Act of 1984

Cable Communications Policy Act of 1984

Long title	An Act to amend the Communications Act of 1934 to provide a national policy regarding cable television.
Nicknames	1984 Cable Act; Cable Privacy Act; Cable Communications Act; Cable Franchise Policy and Communications Act
Enacted by	the 98th United States Congress
Citations
Public law	Pub. L. 98–549
Statutes at Large	98 Stat. 2779
Codification
Acts amended	Communications Act of 1934
Legislative history
Introduced in the Senate as Cable Franchise Policy and Communications Act of 1984 (S.66 and H.R.4103) by Barry Goldwater (R–AZ) and Tim Wirth (D–CO) on January 26, 1983 Passed the Senate on June 14, 1983 (87–9) Passed the House on October 1, 1984 (voice vote) Agreed to by the House and Senate on October 11, 1984 (voice vote)   Signed into law by President Ronald Reagan on October 30, 1984

The Cable Communications Policy Act of 1984 (codified at 47 U.S.C. ch. 5, subch. V–A) was an act of Congress passed on October 30, 1984 to promote competition and deregulate the cable television industry. The act established a national policy for the regulation of cable television communications by federal, state, and local authorities. Conservative Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona wrote and supported the act, which amended the Communications Act of 1934 with the insertion of "Title VI—Cable Communications". After more than three years of debate, six provisions were enacted to represent the intricate compromise between cable operators and municipalities.