Throughout history the United States government has had an influence on how industries have matured and grown. Some of these changes are direct causes of policy decisions of the government, others are not. The Telecommunication sector is one industry in which the U.S. government has had different approaches to meet policy goals among different mediums. Following is an examination of two policy goals of the United States, the protection of free speech and the efficient allocation of spectrum, and how the goals have been pursued in both the broadcasting (Radio and T.V.) and wireless industries (Cellular telephones). .
One goal of telecommunications policy in the U.S. is to refrain from interfering with the first amendment as much as possible, and provide an environment where many points of view can be transmitted and heard. Anytime the U.S. decides to get involved in an industry, especially one within the telecommunications field, concerns over infringements of the first amendment arise. Therefore, when making policy the government attempts to ensure the rights of free speech to the industry its dealing with. When policy doesn't do this well enough, members of the government get concerned, just like when Senator David I. Walsh criticized the Radio Act of 1927 by saying it "fails to clearly and definitely safeguard the rights of free speech" (as cited in Pool, 1983). .
The broadcasting industry requires careful navigation in policy by the FCC. Broadcasting is a peculiar type of media because a relatively small number of owners control the messages that are broadcasted to millions. Policy has the option of allowing full freedom of speech in which broadcasters have full control over what they transmit, or the policy can have certain restrictions. Policy makers, when deciding to partition spectrum to broadcasters by assigning licenses, wanted to refrain from controlling or censoring content.
