Governing the AI transition: Lessons from the 1996 Telecommunications Act

February 9, 2026, Opinion: "There are more than 300 bills related to artificial intelligence (AI) that have been introuced in the U.S. Congress and approximately 1,200 in state legislatures. Legislating in the midst of a technology transition is both important and risky. It is important because protecting the public interest requires rules and expectations rather than an absence of rules that allows companies to act unilaterally in their own interest. It is risky because lawmakers tend to define tomorrow in terms of what is known today—a reality that inhibits the agility necessary in an environment of fast-moving innovation."