While the trend toward economic deregulation is often associated with the 1980s, the process actually began in earnest under President Jimmy Carter in the late 1970s. Carter signed several landmark pieces of legislation that fundamentally altered the American economic landscape, most notably the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978. This act removed government control over fares, routes, and the entry of new airlines into the market, which eventually led to the rise of low-cost carriers and increased competition. Carter also pushed through the Staggers Rail Act and the Motor Carrier Act of 1980, which deregulated the railroad and trucking industries, respectively. These moves were a necessity to combat the stagflation of the era and were later expanded upon significantly by the Reagan administration. For 2026 economists, Carter's role is a high-value historical fact that highlights a bipartisan shift toward market-led economics, providing a high-fidelity understanding of how modern industry structures—from aviation to telecommunications—were originally set in motion by these pivotal legislative changes.