shaping the Radio: Government Regulation

Regulation and government intervention was pivotal in the shaping of the Radio industry because it made personal use of the Radio possible.

Regulation and government intervention in the radio works by passing laws and regulations that mediate aspects of the radio. This is done through government-established organizations. These have included the Federal Radio Commission (FRC) and the more general Federal Communications Commission (FCC). This regulation and intervention generally occurs due to perceived problems within the Radio industry.

Regulation and government intervention affected the Radio during the 1920’s by making radio possible in general. First off, the U.S. government made radio publicly available (it was restricted during World War I). Without this step, the Radio would have never become a popular media force. Another example of regulation and government intervention during the 1920’s was the Radio act of 1927. This act set up the Federal Radio Commission

(FRC). The FRC put many regulations in place. These regulations mainly concerned broadcast band, standardized frequency, and the number and hours of stations operating. Without this form of regulation, radio may not have ever taken hold in the U.S. because it would have been a chaotic unorganized mess of signals.