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The Federal Radio Commission, A Look Back

admin — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The FCC, Federal Communications Commission, created June 19, 1934 by the Communications Act, is responsible for regulating all broadcasting and wired communications. By merging the administrative responsibilities of the FRC, Federal Radio Commission and the ICC, Interstate Commerce Commission, the FCC began to regulate all non-federal government use of broadcast, telegraph, and telephone communications that started or ended within the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and other U.S. territories.

Originally, the FCC had authority over 623 radio stations and 14 million telephones, and centered on ensuring that all of the American people have available, at reasonable costs, and without discrimination, rapid, efficient, nation, and worldwide communication services. The FCC’s regulatory responsibility has now expanded to include satellite, microwave, internet, cell phone, and private radio communications. Distributing licenses to broadcast stations and assigning frequencies is just a small part of the FCC’s job. With the deregulation of the telecommunications industry in 1996, the FCC finds themselves mediating in the phone company’s wars over regional long distance business.

Appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, the five commissioners directing the FCC cannot have any financial interest in commission related business, and only three can come from the same political party.

Meet the Chairman, Julius Genachowski

admin — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Julius Genachowski became the chairman of the FCC on June 29, 2009. Before taking the post as chairman, Julius was a businessman and also worked as a lawyer.

Genachowski received Bachelors from Columbia in 1985, and his Juris Doctor from Harvard in 1991. One of classmates was Barack Obama. He then clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court. He followed that up by serving on Chuck Schumer’s staff. He also worked with Reed Hundt at the FCC. Genachowski switched gears and decided to leave his government position and enter the private sector.

His first business venture found him serving as Chief of Business Operations at IAC, where he helped launch the USA network. He also served on the boards of Hotels.com, Ticketmaster, and Expedia. He then co-founded Rock Creek Ventures. The tireless Genachowski also serves on the board of The Motley Fool and Ecko Unlimited.

Genachowski was helped get his former classmate elected, serving Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign, and helped during the transition after Obama’s victory.

Genachowski has been at the center of some controversy lately, as many feel that his plan to regulate the internet is over stepping. He has since backed off the idea.

Great Moments in FCC History

admin — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0000

By 1934, communications technology in the United States had advanced to a high level: Cables had been laid down in 1859, the transcontinental telegraph completed in 1869, the telephone invented in 1877, and radio and television were in their infancy. In that year, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), an independent agency (not part of the Executive Department) was created to centralize the regulation of communication, both interstate and foreign, by cable, radio, and wire, and also to regulate TV and radio stations. Less than ten years earlier, in 1926, the Federal Radio Commission had been set up to regulate the use of radio; the FCC superseded that body.

In 1940, the FCC released its “Report on Chain Broadcasting,” mainly on the breakup of NBC but also partly on artist bureaus and network option time. From 1948 to 1952, the FCC ordered a “freeze” on stations and reallocated them so they wouldn’t be so close together as to interfere with each other. In 1984, the commission began giving all long-distance companies equal access to those using local stations. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 amended the act that had created the FCC, providing a more competitive environment in which stations could operate.

FCC More Accessible Than Ever

www.itsdocs.com — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Whether filing a complaint or simply looking for the latest information in regards to proper communication laws, guidelines and procedures, the Federal Communications Commission has never been more easily accessible to the common citizen. As government organizations are often chided for a lack of transparency, submission to drawn out bureaucratic processes and lagging behind the times in terms of technological adaptation, the FCC’s commitment to sharing information and keeping interested parties up to date is laudable. One might say “Communication(s)” is the FCC’s middle name.For example, under the handle “FCC,” the Federal Communications Commission keeps over 380,000 Twitter followers up to date with timely information and relevant news stories. While yes, it is possible to message the FCC over Twitter, it should be noted that doing so will not circumvent the need to file official complaints or follow traditional channels in regards to non-trivial communication issues.In order ensure an appropriate response, it is best to send queries and comments in email form to fccinfofcc.gov. For information available through Freedom of Information Act requests, it is necessary to fill out the requisite paper work and submit a FOIA request form. This can be done either online with an electronic form (submitted on the official FCC website) or via traditional mail, with a properly addressed envelope (Federal Communications Commission, 445 12th Street, S.W., Room 1-A836, Washington, D.C. 20554), with the top clearly labeled “Freedom of Information Act Request.” In this letter, you will also need to specify the date of your request, personal contact information (daytime hours), your search fee cap, and as detailed a description as possible in regards to the document in question.

How to File an FCC Complaint

www.itsdocs.com — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 18:19:22 +0000

In order to file an FCC complaint all you need is a working internet connection. Let’s get started.Step 1: Proceed to the FCC’s official complaint website, this can be found at support.fcc.gov/complaints.htm.Step 2: Pick a complaint type to ensure your complaint is handled in the proper fashion, your options will be

Disability Access to Communications Services and Equipment
Junk Fax
Telemarketing, Prerecorded Messages and Do-Not-Call
Wired Telephone
Wireless Telephone
Internet Service and VoIP
Broadcast (TV and Radio), Cable and Satellite Issues
Tower Light Outages and Signal Interference

Step 3: You will then be provided with a list of categories regarding your complaint type. For example if you chose “Broadcast (TV and Radio), Cable and Satellite Issues” your list would then include a category for “Deceptive or unlawful advertising,” “Broadcast programs showing obscene, profane and/or indecent material,” etc.Step 4: After selecting a category, you will need to indicate the method in which you would like to file this complaint. Your options will be online, phone, postal, fax or email. This page will provide you with the online complaint form, downloadable forms for off-line complaints and the addresses/information necessary to submit your complaint off-line.Step 5: Fill out all the necessary required information on the complaint form. You will then be asked to answer a few questions about the incident you are complaining about, when/where it occurred, the program/station it was broadcast on, call sign or frequency of the station, etc. Finally, you will need to describe your complaint in detail, covering exactly what happened and why it is in violation of or unsatisfactory according to the guidelines/standards of the FCC.Step 6: Click Submit to file your complaint online or mail/fax/call/e-mail the corresponding contact information to otherwise complete the complaint process.