This newsletter focuses on the relationship between the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and religious broadcasters. It traces the history of that relationship and discusses some of the pressures put on both. It includes a discussion of a recent avalanche of mail at the FCC supporting the church on the airways. It also summarizes some of…

By first describing the historical stance of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) toward ownership of broadcast facilities and then describing the FCC's most recent policy statements, this report compares the differing viewpoints and recognizes that the new value or goal that seems to have been established conflicts with the past emphasis…

On December 22, 1983, the Federal Communications Commission formally ended its consideration of rule making for children's television programing. Opponents of government regulation view the FCC's decision as a victory for the First Amendment freedoms of speech and the press; proponents of mandatory children's programing guidelines feel that the…

From 1969 to 1993 the definition of program length commercials has not been consistent. The FCC's first involvement with program length commercials was in 1969 when "Hot Wheels," a cartoon based on Mattel Corporation's Hot Wheels cars, was alleged to be nothing more than a 30 minute commercial. The FCC made no formal ruling but did…

That competition in broadcasting may not bring about sufficiently heterogeneous programing has long been the subject of debate among policymakers, and nowhere has that debate been more acrimonious than in its application to the diversification of radio formats. While the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) prefers to leave questions of…

Because the Federal Communication Commission's (FCC) decision to deregulate commercial radio has created great controversy over what constitutes "public interest" in broadcast deregulation, this paper provides a brief historical analysis of the bases for defining the public interest standard in broadcast regulation and examines the use…

Reviews the empirical evidence cited by the FCC in favor of increasing the allowable number of radio and TV stations owned by one group. Argues FCC was biased in favor of deregulation despite weighty evidence indicating continued need for regulation. (MS)

The Telecommunications Act of 1996 constitutes a major overhaul of telecommunications law and will have a major impact on rural residents, communities, schools, libraries, and hospitals. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is requesting comments from "the grassroots" about telecommunications issues and concerns of greatest…

In August 1978, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) began studying the question of how to increase the diversity and coverage of television broadcast services either by modifying the television translator rules or by creating a new low power television service (LPTV). In Septemer 1980, the FCC finally adopted a "Notice of Proposed…

Argues that the FCC prefers an unregulated marketplace for children's programing, but that it has not been shown that the marketplace will work for this program type. (FL)

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) appointed a Joint Board to recommend changes in existing FCC rules to fulfill the regulatory mandates of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. The Joint Board, which consists of three FCC commissioners, four State commissioners, and one consumer advocate, issued its recommendations to the FCC in a 500-page…

The history of the Federal Communications Commission's content regulation of broadcasting is a history of policymaking in a vacuum. A review of the literature reveals that no one has yet attempted to show whether the Fairness Doctrine results in poorer or better broadcast journalism. To remedy this, content regulation should be explored from…

In 1928, the Federal Radio Commission (the precursor of the Federal Communications Commission--FCC) noted the need for special radio channels that could carry radio across the United States free from interference from other radio stations. Many of these "clear channels" still exist as protected entities. Perhaps no other FCC policy…

This monograph traces the themes in various court decisions that reflect a growing respect for the broadcast industry as a mature communication medium which, despite federal regulation, deserves a fuller measure of the First Amendment protection enjoyed by other media. The review begins with the first government involvement in broadcast content in…

This paper examines the role that standard-setting plays in the adoption and growth of new technologies, particularly in the development of electronic media. Background on technological standardization is provided in the first section, including discussions of the costs and benefits of standardization and the timing of standards setting. The…