The Federal Communications Commission was started on June 19, 1934 by an act of Congress to cover 50 states (including the District of Colombia, and U.S. Territories). Its administrative responsibilities are to regulate broadcasting and wired communication. The Federal Communications Commission was given a broad base to establish "a rapid, efficient, Nation-wide, and world-wide wire and radio communication service.", according to President Franklin D. Roosevelt who created it during "The New Deal" on July 11, 1934. It began with seven commissioners and 233 federal employees with the task of bringing together rules and procedures from the Federal Radio Commission, the Interstate Commerce Commission and the Postmaster General into one agency. The FCC was organized into three divisions. The Broadcast Division, Telegraph Division, and Telephone Division. Today, the agency employs approximately 1900 people and has extensive oversight responsibilities in new communications technologies such as satellite, microwave, and private radio communications. s.
The Commission is an independent government agency that derives its powers to regulate the independent industries of communication. Congress gives them a yearly budget of money to fund the agency and its activities. The agency, however, just recently raised money through an auction for non-broadcast purposes. The Communications Act of 1934, gave the Commission and its administration the power and responsibilities for all of the United States communications regulations. The only section of communication that they may not regulate are government radio stations. The Communications Act is divided into various titles and sections that describe numerous powers and concerns of the Commission. .
Since it was passed the Act of 1934 has had many new additions of jurisdiction. In 1962 the FCC took up a whole new section and responsibilities with the Communications Satellite Act of 1962 to regulate satellites.
