Communications in the United States include extensive industries and distribution networks in print and telecommunication. The primary telecom regulator ofcommunications in the United States is theFederal Communications Commission.
American inventors and entrepreneurs made substantial contributions to development and commercialization of theradio,telephone, andtelevision. TheInternet protocol suite was developed with U.S. government funding.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent government agency responsible for regulating the radio, television and phone industries. The FCC regulates all interstate communications, such as wire, satellite and cable, and international communications originating or terminating in the United States.
Significant laws in the history of U.S. telecommunications include:
The logo for The New York Times, an American newspaper.
Newspapers declined in their influence and penetration into American households in the late 20th century. Most newspapers are local, having little circulation outside their particularmetropolitan area. The closest thing to a national paper the U.S. has isUSA Today. Other influential dailies includeThe New York Times,The Washington Post andThe Wall Street Journal which are sold in most U.S. cities.
The largest newspapers (by circulation) in the United States areUSA Today,The Wall Street Journal,The New York Times and theLos Angeles Times.
Thelegal monopoly of the government-ownedUnited States Postal Service has narrowed during the 20th and 21st centuries due to competition from companies such asUPS &FedEx, although still delivers the vast majority of US mail.
In 1890, 1 percent of U.S. households owned at least onetelephone while a majority did by 1946 and 75 percent did by 1957.[1][2]
Telephone system: General assessment: A large, technologically advanced, multipurpose communications system. Domestic: A large system of fiber-optic cable,microwave radio relay,coaxial cable, and domestic satellites carries every form of telephone traffic; a rapidly growing cellular system carriesmobile telephone traffic throughout the country. International: Country code - 1;24 ocean cable systems in use; satellite earth stations - 61 Intelsat (45 Atlantic Ocean and 16 Pacific Ocean), 5 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region), and 4 Inmarsat (Pacific and Atlantic Ocean regions) (2000).
Telephones - main lines in use: 141 million (2009)[3]
Most of the American telephone system was formerly operated by a single monopoly,AT&T, which was divided in 1984 into along-distancetelephone company and seven regional "Baby Bells".
Landline telephone service continues to be divided betweenincumbent local exchange carriers and several competing long-distance companies. As of 2005, some of the Baby Bells are beginning to merge with long-distance phone companies. A small number of consumers are currently experimenting withVoice over Internet Protocol phone service.
Mostlocal loop service to homes is provided through old-fashioned copper wire, although many of the providers have upgraded the so-called "last mile" tofiber optic.
Early in the 21st century the number of wire lines in use stopped growing and in some markets began to decline.[4]
In 1923, 1 percent of U.S. households owned at least oneradio receiver while a majority did by 1931 and 75 percent did by 1937.[2][5]
Radio broadcast stations: AM: 4,669; FM commercial stations: 6,746; FM educational stations: 4,101; FM translators & boosters: 7,253; low-power FM stations: 1,678 (as of December 31, 2016, according to the Federal Communications Commission)
Most broadcast stations are controlled by large media conglomerates likeiHeartMedia. There are also many small independent local stations.National Public Radio (NPR) is the public radio network.
In 1948, 1 percent of U.S. households owned at least onetelevision while 90 percent did by 1959.[2] In 1980, 1 percent of U.S. households owned at least onevideocassette recorder while 75 percent did by 1992.[2] In 1975, the cable television industry had 9.8 million subscriptions across 71.1 million U.S. households (or approximately 14%), which grew to 19.2 million subscriptions across the 80.8 million households (or approximately 24%) by 1980.[6][7] By 1988, cable television subscriptions grew to 45.7 million across 91.1 million households (or approximately 50%),[7] while cable and satellite television subscriptions combined grew to 66.2 million across 99 million households (or approximately 67%) by 1995.[6][8] While the number of cable television subscriptions began declining in 2001, combined cable and satellite subscriptions grew further to 90.5 million across 112 million households (or approximately 80%) by 2004,[6][8] and combined subscriptions continued to grow to 95.5 million through 2007 after which combined subscriptions began falling during theGreat Recession.[6] Survey data has shown that the percentage of American adults reporting having a cable or satellite television subscription fell from 76% in 2015 to 56% in 2021,[9] while 2025 survey data found that only 36% of American adults reported having a cable or satellite television subscription.[10]
Television broadcast stations: 7,533 (of which 1,778 are full-power TV stations; 417 are class-A TV stations; 3,789 are TV translators; and 1,966 are otherlow-power TV stations) (as of December 31, 2016, according to the Federal Communications Commission); in addition, there are about 12,000 cable TV systems.
Most local commercial television stations areowned-and-operated by or affiliated with the large national broadcast networks such as theAmerican Broadcasting Company (ABC),CBS, theFox Broadcasting Company (Fox), the National Broadcasting Company (NBC), andThe CW Television Network. Some television networks are aimed at ethnic minorities, includingSpanish-language networksUnivisión andTelemundo. The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is the country's main public broadcasting network, with over 300 non-profit affiliated stations across the United States. Besides the large broadcast networks (which arefree for anyone with a TV and an antenna), there are also many networks available only with a subscription to cable or satellite television, likeCNN.
In 1984, 8 percent of U.S. households owned at least onepersonal computer, while 18 percent of U.S. households hadinternet access in 1997.[11] In 2000, a majority of U.S. households owned at least onepersonal computer and hadinternet access the following year,[11] while more than 75 percent of U.S. households owned a personal computer by 2011 and had internet access by 2014.[12] By 2021, more than 95 percent of U.S. households owned a personal computer and 90 percent had internet access.[12]
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 7,600 (1999 est.)
Because of aggressive lobbying and the United States' stronglibertarian traditions, theInternet service provider industry remains relatively unregulated in comparison to other communications industries.
For various historical reasons, the .us domain was never widely used outside of a small number of government agencies and school districts. Most companies signed up fortop level domains like .com instead.
NeuStar Inc. now has control over the .us registry and is trying to promote the domain as an option for American-oriented Web sites.
