L.L.C. suffix an effect of new law?

Everytime I read something or watch TV, I see “Blah-Blah Communications L.L.C.”. Perhaps I wasn’t paying attention before, but this seems like a new thing to me. Is it new, and what is it?

Limited Liability Corporation. I’m no expert, but basically it’s a way for small businesses to incorporate.

From Wikipedia:

Apparently they’ve been around a lot longer than I thought, but they became popular in the U.S. in the early 1990s.