Regulation and Government Intervention

The main force that influenced the shaping and formation of the radio industry in the 1920s was regulation and government intervention because it heavily restricted the freedoms and how much could be done or said on the radio. Regulation and Government intervention is relatively simple it is the rules and regulations that broadcasters have to follow in order to stay legally cooperative with the law. In 1923 the Commerce department issued licenses to legally operate a radio transmitter. From there on laws and regulations have only grown stricter. In the late 1920's the Radio Act of 1927 was established and a Federal Radio Commission was formed. It limited the number of stations operating at night. Since 1920 many laws and regulations have been installed including: The communication act of 1934, the 1996 telecommunications act, the ban of obscene speech, indecent speech, and copyright laws. Regulation and Government Intervention are like the law of the radio, they are trying to "intervene" to keep the radio clean and useful for the public's ears. Regulation and Government Intervention affected the evolution of the radio in the U.S. because it made it extremely difficult for just anyone to operate a radio. This statement is best defined by the Radio Act of 1927. The number of stations operating at night was limited not only making it difficult for new people to operate radios but restricting the people with licenses of air time. By restricting a new technology like this you not only stop its growth but you hurt the public from discovering how useful something like a radio can be. It seems now more then ever are regulations terribly strict.