Everyday millions and millions of people are exposed to television and radio. We watch our favorite shows, movies, programming and entertainment events everyday. The level of violence and other controversial categories that we see during that time of the show are significant. Therefore the government created an agency and a system that would follow and control the content of the television and radio entertainment. The agency is called FCC (Federal Communications Commission). Whether we are listening to the radio, watching TV, talking on the phone, or using our pager, we are involved in communications. The Federal Communications Commission is working to make sure the nations communications systems are working flawlessly and competitively in our best interest. The Commission realizes that to serve us well we must be efficient, effective, and responsive.
The FCC was established by the Communications Act of 1934 as a U.S. government agency independent of the Executive Branch and directly responsible to Congress. The FCC regulates television, radio, wire, satellite and cable in all of the fifty states and other U.S. territories. There are five Commissioners who direct the FCC, they are selected by the president. Only three Commissioners can be of the same political party at any time and none can have a financial interest in any Commission-related business. The President selects one of the Commissioners to serve as Chairperson. All Commissioners, and the Chairperson have five year term unless they are filling in for unexpired term. The Commissioners supervise all FCC activities, delegating responsibilities to Commission Bureaus and Offices and are charged with regulating interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite and cable.
Just like any other Government agency, FCC has a way to enforce and regulate the rules and regulations. It gets the help from The Enforcement Bureau and it enforces rules, orders and license authorizations, promotes telephone service competition, protects consumers and makes sure of public safety.