Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-16
j. S. ONLY NATION
NOT TAKING RADIO
Complicated Factors Shown
in Governments Reply
TO Lawsuits.
BY MARTIN CODEL.


and privileges In the fast developing
medium of communication known as
radio, has beset the Government with
many new problems that are absent in
other countries where government own
erSllip and operation OF communication
facilities Is the rule.
Peculiar unto this country are these
problems, for the United States alone,
amcng the major nations Of the world,
authorizes private initiative and enter
prise to utilize the precious radio chan
nels without eXacting license fee or
sharing in the revenues. American ra-
dio, like American railroads and other
great utilities, Is in the hands Of private
interests, though regulation and control
rest with the Government.
Some idea Of the numerous and COM
plicated factors that govern the selec-
ton of those who shall use the mystic
rious ether waves in the public or pri-
vate service may be cleaned from the
statement Of facts and grounds for de-
cisions submitted by the Federal Radio
Commission to the Court of Appeals of
the District of Columbia in the appeals
OF the 1ntercity Radio Telegraph Co.,
the Wireless Telegraph & Communica-
tons Co., the Radio Corporation Of
America Communications, Inc, and the
Mackay Radio g. Telegraph Co.
Four Companies Appeal.
Each Of these companies has appealed
from decisions of the commission deny
ing them part or all of the wave lengths
they sought in order to establish domeS-
tic radio photograph systems in COMPETE
ton with the wire telegraphs. The
commission has presented an eXhaus-
tive document covering the four-cor-
nered appeals of the rival interests in
10 all g.
issues presented for review" by the
court The document is a veritable
text book Of radio law, science and
history.
First Of all, the commission is con-
fronted by rules Of international law,
the PHYSICAL and scientific limits of ra-
dio as now in practice, and the demands
of services having paramount claims to
facilities. International law and treaty
obligations dictate what wave lengths
may be used for respective services and
how. Then there is the national law,
which reserves certain rights for the
Government services but leaves to the
commission discretion concerning who
shall be licensed to use the remaining
waves.
f., Priority has more or less been estab-
diShed for the national defense, mari
time and Always services, emergency
communicating where land wires are
1mpracticable or unavailable, public
service, tranSoceanic and interconti-
mental communications, and important
experimental and developmental work.
Beyond these needs, however, the ap-
plications of the private interests have
been for radio channels for domestic
systems, both public and private in
character. Since a public utility stand
ard Is being imposed upon the use of
most channels not in the. priority
classes, the demands for facilities for
purely private uses have practically all
been refused. Yet the demands for
channels to be used in the public serv-
ice, such as those intended for the
competitive radio telegraph systems,
nave far exceeded the supply.
Limitations Are Perplexing.
Physical and scientific limitations
have been even more perplexing. Chan
nelS must be standardized, defined,
measured and uniformly allocated, and
the effect of their use on other radio
uses determined. The fact that the
radio art Is changing almost daily COM
plicateS this factor considerably.
The commissions legal counsel, au-
thors OF the statement of facts and
grounds for decisions, point out that
both economic and technical considera-
lions ruled the assignment of those
channels admitted to the trusteeships
OF various companies. In the former
category the considerations were the ex-
listing communication facilities, the
need for domestic feeders into tnterna-
tional circuits, the desirability Of COM
petition between radio services and
sound economic principles generally.
Among technical considerations the
chief factors were technical and finan-
cial resources, service to be rendered
and development possibilities.
These, it is said, were the hallmarks
Of such assignments of wave lengths as
those made to the Universal Wireless
Communications Co., which proposes to
establish a system serving liz cities in
all States: the Radio Corporation of
America Communications. Inc, and
other successful or partially successful
applicants. The reasons for denying
other applicants were chiefly that they
did not propose to give as broad service
or did not appear to meet other quail
fications.
(Copyrisht, 1879, by North American News
paper Alliance.)