Federal Communications Commission

Mission and agency objectives

As specified in Section 1 of the Communications Act of 1934 and amended by the Telecommunications Act of 1996 (amendment to 47 U.S.C. §151), the mandate of the FCC is, "to make available so far as possible, to all the people of the United States, without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, or sex, rapid, efficient, nationwide, and world-wide wire and radio communication services with adequate facilities at reasonable charges."

Furthermore, the Act provides that the FCC was created, "for the purpose of the national defense," and, "for the purpose of promoting safety of life and property through the use of wire and radio communications."[4]

Commissioners

Main article: List of chairs of the Federal Communications Commission

The commissioners of the FCC as of June23,2025[update]:

Name	Party	Term started	Term expires	Max. extended time
Brendan Carr(Chair)	Republican	August 11, 2017	June 30, 2028	Jan. 3, 2030
Anna M. Gomez	Democratic	September 25, 2023	June 30, 2026	Jan. 3, 2028
Olivia Trusty	Republican	June 23, 2025	June 30, 2030	Jan. 3, 2032
Vacant			June 30, 2027	Jan. 3, 2029
Vacant			June 30, 2029	Jan. 3, 2031

The initial group of FCC commissioners after establishment of the commission in 1934 comprised the following seven members:[17][44]

Commissioner	State	Party	Position	Term started	Term ended
Eugene O. Sykes	Mississippi	Democratic	Chairman	[45]	July 11, 1934
Thad H. Brown	Ohio	Republican	Commissioner	July 11, 1934	June 30, 1940
Paul A. Walker	Oklahoma	Democratic	Commissioner	[46]	July 11, 1934
Norman S. Case	Rhode Island	Republican	Commissioner	July 11, 1934	June 30, 1937
Irvin Stewart	Texas	Democratic	Commissioner	July 11, 1934	June 30, 1937
George Henry Payne	New York	Republican	Commissioner	July 11, 1934	June 30, 1943
Hampson Gary	Texas	Democratic	Commissioner	July 11, 1934	January 1, 1935

The complete list of commissioners is available on the FCC website.[44] Frieda B. Hennock (D-NY) was the first female commissioner of the FCC in 1948.

Name	Party	Term started	Term expired
Eugene Octave Sykes	Democratic	July 11, 1934	April 5, 1939
Thad H. Brown	Republican	July 11, 1934	June 30, 1940
Paul A. Walker	Democratic	July 11, 1934	June 30, 1953

…

History

Federal Communications Commission seen in Washington, D.C., in 1937. Seated (l-r) Eugene Octave Sykes, Frank R. McNinch, Chairman Paul Atlee Walker, Standing (l-r) T.A.M. Craven, Thad H. Brown, Norman S. Case, and George Henry Payne. FCC commissioners inspect the latest in television, December 1, 1939.

Communications Act of 1934

On February 26, 1934, President Franklin Roosevelt recommended the creation of the Federal Communications Commission. In 1934, Congress passed the Communications Act, which abolished the Federal Radio Commission and transferred jurisdiction over radio licensing to a new Federal Communications Commission, including in it also the telecommunications jurisdiction previously handled by the Interstate Commerce Commission.[15][16]

Title II of the Communications Act focused on telecommunications using many concepts borrowed from railroad legislation and Title III contained provisions very similar to the Radio Act of 1927.

The initial organization of the FCC was effected July 17, 1934, in three divisions, Broadcasting, Telegraph, and Telephone. Each division was led by two of the seven commissioners, with the FCC chairman being a member of each division. The organizing meeting directed the divisions to meet on July 18, July 19, and July 20, respectively.[17]

Report on Chain Broadcasting

In 1941, the Federal Communications Commission issued the " Report on Chain Broadcasting" which was led by new FCC chairman James Lawrence Fly (and Telford Taylor as general counsel). The major point in the report was the breakup of the National Broadcasting Company (NBC), which ultimately led to the creation of the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), but there were two other important points. One was network option time, the culprit here being the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS). The report limited the amount of time during the day and at what times the networks may broadcast. Previously a network could demand any time it wanted from a Network affiliate. The second concerned artist bureaus. The networks served as both agents and employers of artists, which was a conflict of interest the report rectified.[18]

Freeze of 1948

Old FCC seal, used prior to 2020

In assigning television stations to various cities after World War II, the FCC found that it placed many stations too close to each other, resulting in interference. At the same time, after eliminating channel 1, it became clear that the designated remaining VHF channels, 2 through 13, were inadequate for nationwide television service.[19] As a result, the FCC stopped giving out construction permits for new licenses in October 1948, under the direction of Chairman Rosel H. Hyde. Most expected this "Freeze" to last six months, but as the allocation of channels to the emerging UHF technology and the eagerly awaited possibilities of color television were debated, the FCC's re-allocation map of stations did not come until April 1952, with July 1, 1952, as the official beginning of licensing new stations.

Other FCC actions hurt the fledgling [DuMont](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DuMont_Television_Network "DuMont Television

…