Evening star., 1922-04-06
CONTROL OF RADIO
/ IS STORM Center
State Rights Question May
Have Place in Problem.
Politics Involved.

StOrm- tossed on a turDulent sea OF
conflicting wave lengths. the Unite,
States government admittedly is at "A
| loss to know what to do with the
| growing radiophone> traffic. New laws
| must be passed on the subject. but
no one apparently knows just where
| to begin with them.
| The suggestion is being seriously
! considered of giving the Interstate
Commerce Commission control of the
! air so far as the mainland of the
United States Is concerned
| But this brings up the question
whether the air over>a state belongs
| to that state or to the United States.
/ Have not the radio residents of the
sovereign state of Georgia the right
to use the air of that state as they
see fit. without interference from the
federal government? Once more the
specter of state rights raises it's
head.
OF course. the government contends
that you cannot start an ether wave
in Georgia and stop it at the state
line: 1t is bound to ignore natural
or fixed boundaries and therefore be-
comes interstate business" and sub
ject to federal rules and regulations.
Furthermore, the radio waves gen.
Grated on the mainland at any point
near the coast spread rapidly at sea.
They take no heed of the three-rflile
limit. and. invading the ozone of the
open sea, become subject for inter
national consideration.
Sees Need of New Laws.
"One thing is certain" said Judge
William Z. Lamb, solicitor of the De-
rartment of Commerce, today, 1--WE
need an entire new code of laws to
cope with the wireless situation. The
laws under which We are now operat-
ha Sad hax rnt
ventions of 1913. The whole use of
the wireless telephone has grown up
since that time. and with It have come
entirely new problems.
Il do not see how we can reach any
thing like permanent solution of
the problem without another interna-
tional convention. and some one will
have to take the initiative in call
ing such convention in the very
near future" 3
A wireless commission now is con-
s:dering what steps can be taken to
curb some of the antics of the wire
less amateurs. but the task is a
thankleSs one.
1t is realized that Congress is not
going TO act with any rapidity in
"squelching" the amateur when it is
known that the ranks of the amateurs
are growing by leaps and bounds, day
gress will be slow with restrictive
measures which might interfere with
the new infant Industry" of this
countfy-the manufacture of wireless
sets The wireless makers are work
ing their factories night and day. but,
despite their strenuous effort to keep
up. are falling steadily behind in their
orders. =
At the present time all of the radio
phone broadcasting stations are work
ing without licenses. There is still
the prohibition that they cannot in
wade the wave lengths reserved strictly
for the government-S00 to 1900. But
even thsse rsstrietons est may have to
IS getting overcrowded. One can hard
ly hear ones self think at the receiv-
ers any more. When a Beethoven
sonata and market report of curb
prices become involved at the same
wave length. the commotion in the
air is akin to that lashed up by a
harpooned whale in midocean.
Causes Political Alarm.
The two great political parties are
viewing the possibilities of the wire
less telephone for the campaign this
fall with both interest and alarm. In
the absence of reserved waves below
the 500 mark, there really is nothing
to prevent a lot Of mischievous "in-
reference. For instance, if it be
announced that a certain prominent
republican will speak to his constitu-
ents at $50 meters at o'clock Tues
Udy uiS there Is nOINlnR TO prevent
a prominent democrat from tuning
up to $50 meters the same hour of the
same night and sending his speech in
the same general radio.
Perhaps this is what caused some of
the protest against the recent use of
the Navy wireless by Senator New of
Indiana. He made his speech within
the reserved government wave
lengths. and. being thus safely 'within
the law" there was no chance to in
terrupt or heckle the speaker
If there only were some law by
which the republicans could be as
signed $50 meters and the democrats
440-with heavy penalties for ma
licious interference-the political use
of the radiophone would wax apace,
but there is no such law and none in
immediate contemplation.
There is possibility that the gov
ernment air space may be placed at
the 1,000-meter mark and over. This
would open 400 additional meters to
the amateurs and to the commercial
lied use of the air. Every one of
those additional meters apparently is
needed.
Meantime radio melees are bound to
continue. There are no laws to pre-
vent, and every one is convinced that
during the time it takes to put law
Through Congress in these modern
days the whole field of wireless teleph-
ony may take new range The
big department store is just as free
to broadcast its Friday bargains as