The Federal Communication Commissions

The Federal Communications Commission is a commission by the federal agency. It is

meant for enforcing the laws and regulations of communications. The act for the Federal

Communication Commissions was passed in 1934 by the Communications Act. It replaced the

outdated Federal Radio Commission of 1926. The United States has been regulating

communications since the Radio Act of 1912. Then the Federal Radio Act turned into the Federal

Communications Commission. The Federal Communication Commissions grew in their orders

and responsibilities since tv and radio were increasing in use. The Federal Communication

Commissions helps regulate and monitor content even more than it did before by radio,

television, wire, satellite, and cable. It is directed by five commissioners, the president appoints

them. The staff is organized by the commission staff. The purpose of the Federal Communication

Commissions is for “public interest, convenience, and necessity”. President Franklin Roosevelt

used the Federal Communication Commissions to make sure the mass communications of the

country were being controlled by many and not a selected few. The Federal Communication

Commissions interfering with the NBC company and reported them. It caused them to break up

because of a report on chain broadcasting. ABC company was created during all of the things

happening with NBC. The Federal Communication Commissions made sure that the networks

had a certain timeframe of when they were live. Once television became bigger the Federal

Communication Commissions was able to regulate the tv too. It was able to help create a signal

of very high frequency or ultra high frequency, but most channels used the very high frequency

signal. They had certain times also when the networks can air. Some of the signals would get

interfered so they encouraged the to use the ultra high frequency instead. The Federal

Communication Commissions also got control over the idea of using color. Once the color
television was made, it immediately became a millstone to be addressed for the Federal

Communication Commissions . Then the Fairness Doctrine was introduced in 1949 by the

Federal Communication Commissions . It was enforced to make sure the radio and television

programs had both controversial issues of public importance and allow opposing views of the

issue to be aired. The Fairness Doctrine is also known as the Report on Editorializing by

Broadcast Licensees and became part of the Federal Communication Commissions in 1967.

Repeal of the Fairness Doctrine occurred in 1987 to attempt to restore First Amendment rights

that seemed to be taken away. Later in 2005 the Federal Communication Commissions also

passed they Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act of 2005. The Federal Communication

Commissions regulates a lot of mass media except the internet, but they were helpful in

advancing the Voice over Internet Protocol. The Federal Communication Commissions approved

the size of news and cable companies in December of 2007. Then in 2009, the Federal

Communication Commissions had the idea of net neutrality which would help prevent

discrimination against applications and content over all the internet streams. Obama was in

support of the administration of equal treatment. In 2010 there was a loophole saying that the

Federal Communication Commissions was being vague about broadcast content. The federal

appeals court took down the Federal Communication Commissions’ Indecency Policy because it

included fleeting expletives. In 2011 the rules were repealed. In May 2011, the Federal

Communication Commissions started working on location for phones. The phones have been

tracking location even with the software wasn’t in use.

The jurisdiction over licenses was transferred to the Federal Communication

Commissions. The jurisdiction of the Federal Communication Commissions is the Federal

government of the United States. A primary jurisdiction referral is very common within the area
of communications. Jurisdiction involves issues of false and deceptive business practices and

scams. Jurisdiction gives the final approval for the Federal Communication Commission's orders.

The referrals are helpful in private litigation and help clear up unclear areas of the

communication laws. The power of the Federal Communication Commissions is directed by five

commissioners who were picked by the president. There have been many regulations made from

judicial decisions for the broadcast public interest.

The organization of the Federal Communication Commissions is organized into bureaus

and offices. Offices are law judges who have hearings and can issue decisions. Bureaus are

making and reinforce policies for the people. There are 7 bureaus and 10 offices. They need to

do their responsibilities so everything will work out and people will be safe. The responsibilities

are to develop and implement regulatory programs, process applications for licenses and other

filings, encourage development for innovative services, conducting investigations and analyzing

complaints, public safety, and homeland security, consumers’ information and education. The

Federal Communication Commissions is an Independent Organization Act. The bureaus and

office help with the Federal Communication Commissions issues.

The functions of the Federal Communication Commissions are to regulate interstate and

international radio, tv, wire, satellite, and cable. This is capable in all 50 states and other US-

owned places such as the District of Columbia and U.S. territories. While everything with

communications is evolving, their primary concern is keeping up with the communication laws.

The rulemaking process for the Federal Communication Commissions is the idea of notice and

comment. They want to know the public’s view on certain topics. They want their viewpoint so it

can help them make a better rule of what should be done. The rules are made so the public
people have an easier understanding of what should be done or shouldn’t be done. Commissions

are always seeking new items to add. They have in all under control.

Political programming is part of the Federal Communication Commissions. This includes

radio, television, cable television, and Direct Broadcast Satellite. The Federal Communication

Commissions helps maintain and provide info on the Federal Election Commission for public

information. It will also help determine where communication is sent out. There are also rules

insured from the rulemaking part of the Federal Communication Commissions. Some rules are

stating who is entitled to access the broadcasting advertising time, how much pay for the time,

disclosure and record-keeping. The Federal Communication Commissions wants you to know

about the political rules of broadcasting and the use of it. Children’s Educational Television is

required to educate children. The programs are supposed to offer the information kids need to

learn. Also, the Federal Communication Commissions make sure that the advertisers and other

broadcast streams aren't taking over during the children’s programs. New rules made sure this

was reinforced that there were weekly programs. The children also had a set limit to watch, so it

has certain age audiences on at different times.

For Cable television, rules were made in 1966 for all cable TVs. They received signals by

microwave antennas. The cable is a basic tier of programming. It still includes the local

broadcasting stations and programs. Many programs like education and government are

accessible in the cable companies. For radio, it as either AM, FM, and other TV stations

accessible. Many people use radio broadcast stations to hear about information. The broadband

services are for the internet. Broadband is the ability to use images and video on the web at

home. Broadband Technology helps make the images on the screen accessible. The TVs were

licensed and regulated in both commercial and noncommercial of UHF and VHF stations. The
Communications act of 1934 uses the license and regulations to help with the setup and is part of

the basic requirement. All of these public broadcasting are all regulated under the Federal

Communication Commissions. They have the authority to make sure everything is connected and

regulated right. Rules help keep everyone in check also. On the radio, the stations don’t interfere

anymore. Now if anyone wants their own station they have to go through an application process.

It must be helping the public interests to be aired. The FCC isn’t allowed to censor broadcast

matter because of the First Amendment and the Communications Act.

 Work Cited Commented [1]: minor format errors

“About the FCC.” Federal Communications Commission, www.fcc.gov/about/overview.

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Law and Regulation.” Brookings, Brookings, 23 Mar. 2017,

www.brookings.edu/research/revisiting-the-broadcast-public-interest-standard-in-

communications-law-and-regulation/.

“Cable Television.” Federal Communications Commission, 15 Dec. 2015,

www.fcc.gov/media/engineering/cable-television.

“Children's Educational Television.” Federal Communications Commission, 19 July 2019,

www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/childrens-educational-television.

“Demystifying Primary Jurisdiction Referrals.” Federal Communications Commission, 17

Feb. 2016, www.fcc.gov/news-events/blog/2010/07/29/demystifying-primary-jurisdiction-

referrals.

“Departments.” AllGov, www.allgov.com/departments/independent-agencies/federal-

communications-commission-fcc?agencyid=7325.

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Commission (FCC) | National Telecommunications and Information Administration,

www.ntia.doc.gov/book-page/federal-communications-commission-fcc.

“The History of the Federal Communications Commission.” Mitel,

www.mitel.com/articles/history-federal-communications-commission-fcc.
 “Political Broadcasting Rules Q&A.” CommLawBlog, 1 Mar. 2018,

www.commlawblog.com/2018/02/articles/deadlines/political-broadcasting-rules-qa/.

“Political Programming.” Federal Communications Commission, 14 Dec. 2015,

www.fcc.gov/media/policy/political-programming.

“Rulemaking Process.” Federal Communications Commission, 2 Oct. 2019,

www.fcc.gov/about-fcc/rulemaking-process.

“What We Do.” Federal Communications Commission, 10 July 2017, www.fcc.gov/about-

fcc/what-we-do.