Radio and Television Acts since 1910.
In the book, Politics and Television by Kurt Lang states: "The system of broadcasting used in the United States is based on private ownership and operation of radio and television stations and on the licensing and regulation of such stations by an agency of the federal government." Since the beginning of radio and television existence, regulation has been a key factor. From the first Radio Act in 1910 to the most recent, broadcasting has grown to become the mass media that we all know today. .
According to the book Broadcasting and the Public by Harrison and Robert Summers, The first radio law, enacted by Congress in 1910, required American passenger ships to install wireless equipment as a safety measure with the operators and transmitters being trained by the U.S. Department of Commerce. In 1912, an amendment of 1910's law extended the licensing provisions to cover wireless installation on land. Both laws dealt with radio as a devise used for point-to-point wireless communication. "Broadcasting" as we know it today was yet to be known. .
Formal broadcasting began in 1920. Such early stations were regulated and licensed by the Department of Commerce. With the number of stations growing faster and faster, the department began to specify hours and wavelengths for which each station would be permitted to operate. However, in 1926, a federal court ruling stated that no one had a legal right to force restrictions. This resulted in the interference between signals from stations to station- leading to the radio act of 1927.
Found on FCC.com, The Act of 1927 stated that the newly founded "Federal Radio Commission" would regulate station frequencies and on-air hours. Within the Act was the stating that the Commission had no power to enforce censorship. In 1934, Congress passed a new radio law, the Communications Act of 1934 and placed all regulation in the hands of the Federal Communications Commission also known as the FCC.
United States parties spend much more money on election campaigns than do parties in other nations, partly because most U.S. campaigns last longer and employ television and other costly means of communi...