The regulatory histories of cable structures provide an impetus to evaluate current communication conditions and assess their contribution to installation of an ‘ideal communication network. This analysis begins by establishing seven criteria for an ideal integrated system, then moves to descriptions of US and ROK cable models, and ends with a comparison of these models to the ideal model First, seven categories discussed in order to identify an ideal integrated communication network system are (1) universal service at reasonable rates, (2) consumer control, (3) non‐redundancy, (4) sufficient profit for infrastructure providers, (5) contribution to general economic development, (6) encouragement of endogenous content and service production, and (7) contribution to social development. Second, two regulatory cable television models in the US—an earlier regulatory model during the 1960s and 70s and a current deregulatory model during the 1980s—are contrasted, followed by the problems of a current regulatory model including exploitive rates, failure to carry local stations, and exclusive programme distribution arrangement. Then, the emerging Korean regulatory model is described by emphasizing the political conditions in the foundations of regulation from an historical aspect. The section of current cable television development in South Korea is devoted to the discussion of the new cable television law which was passed on 17 December 1991. Finally, the regulatory models in the two countries are compared to the ideal communication model we proposed.