Evening star., 1928-12-23
SHORT WAVE FIGHT
NEAR SETTLEMENT.
Federal Radio Commission
Soon Will Announce Com
merciaI AIIocationS.

The smoke screen that has enveloped
! the whole subject of the ALLEGATION OF
short waves for commercial use is about
! to rise Behind closed doors, and with
| utmost secrecy the Federal Radio Com
mission has been celebrating this vital
| matter, to determine who shall get the
largest slices of this virgin radio terri
tory. and just what character of radio
service will be permitted.
Decision will be made shortly, even
though things are not entirely serene
T, within the commission as to which of
the, major applications should be
granted; these relate primarily 10 the
setting up of io-telegraph networks
within the United States that would
parallel existing land wire services, and
transact message business by radiD in
the same manner as the Western Union
and Postal do their telegraphic business
There actually are hundreds of other
applications pending for short wave
channels in the continental band, but
the message services and the policy that
must be adopted in that connection are
Of major importance.
Leading Applicants for Service.
The Radio Corporation of America,
the Postal Radio & Telegraph Co., and
the Universal Wireless Communications
Co. are the leading applicants for the
message service Each asks for between
80 and 40 of these channels, and it is
not yet decided whether any will be
granted, although the trend is for the
establishment of one, and only one such
service. The Universal Co. is a new
conner in the radio field, but is said to
have heavy financial support, well
equipped experimental laboratories, a
vast number of patents that are par
ticalarly adaptable for message work.
and, lastly the. support. of some mem
bsrs of the commission perhaps a
ma jority.
There has been an inkling of doubt
on the part of some members of the
commission as to the propriety of
| licensing for the radio message networks
as public utilities, either the RCA or
the postal groups. This develops be-
cause OF the terms of the radio act.
| regarding radio holdings by company
that has interests either in cable or
telegraph utilities, in the case of the
postal group, and because of the anti
monopoly laws as regards the RCA.
These are matters being debated, but
near conclusion, and matters that may
tend toward the application of the uni
versal group.
The sudden and quiet manner in
which the commission has begun con-
Sideration Of the short-wave ALLEGATION
has been somewhat surprising This is
in view of the fact that it heretofore
has held in abeyance any consideration
OF commercial ALLEGATION until some
definite arrangement with Canada. Cuba
| and Mexico had been reached as to
the distribution between the countries
OF these channels. Canada, so far as
is officially and publicly known, has
refused to negotiate with the United
| States on short waves unless 1t is guar
anteed SO per cent of the total num-
| Der of channels, on an equal basis with
this country.
A conference was to have been held
! in Ottawa early in November to con-
/ summate the 'gentleman's agreement"
! between the several American coun-
/ tries that would have given Canada
! approximately one channel to each four
| for the United States. But Canada re-
| fused even to hold the conference un-
/ less the principle of $3.50 division was
| agreed to by the United States.
Now it is felt that perhaps some
tentative understanding has been made
! with Canada and that a conference
| later will be held to consummate a new
"gentleman's agreement" This infer
| ence is drawn by the fact that the
commission is at work on the matter
of allccating waves to applicants even
before it knows how many channels il
will get.
Yet another factor is that the in
ternational radiotelegraph treaty goes
| into effect on January l, and in the
reaSsignment of wave lengths among
nations under that treaty, the commits
sion must lay down rule regarding
the public service to be rendered by
companies assigned to use the short
waves.
(Copyrisht, 1928. by the Consolidated Press