Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-12
GRANTS OF WAVES
BREWING TROUBLE
Radio Commission Orders
New Hearing Over
Channels CIamor.

Trouble aplenty is brewing in the
continental short-wave spectrum, that
portion of the ether being so strongly
contested by hundreds of companies
and enterprises for communications
purposes.
And the trouble lies in the fact that
the United States has all but exhausted
the channels in this spectrum available
to 1t for ALLEGATION to public utility
companies in the creation of point-to-
point radio-telegraph services. Actu-
ally there are less than 10 channels I'M
allotted in the block set aside for public
utility companies, and even these have
been committed through the grants of
construction permits to certain appli-
cantS.
The commission is in a tight place.
It cannot conceivably grant in full the
pending applications of Radio Corpora
ton OF America Communications, Inc,
and the Mackay Radio & Telegraph
Co., each of which seek between so and
40 channels Besides these applications,
there are others pending which would
entail the granting of literally thou
sands of channels, when this country
originally had only 148 channels out of
the total of 639 in the spectrum for
general communication and commercial
services after reaching an agreement
for their division with Canada, Cuba
and Mexico. The 148 channels are for
every character of general public
services.
Order New Hearing.
The commission has ordered a new
hearing into the question of meeting
the demands of the four major appli-
cantS for channels with which to create
message networks like that being I'M
dertaken by the Universal wireless
Communications Co. The latter COM
pany was the only one to be granted
channels for this purpose, and decisions
on the other applications were held up
last December when this award was
made. This grant, however, was pro-
vocative of much discussion and caused
an investigation in Congress.
What the commission proposes to do
at the hearing. to be held May %, is a
mystery In its order it states it will
require additional evidence before de-
Gliding whether it will serve public in
terest, convenience or necessity to grant
the applications" Any persons or or
carnations "favoring or opposing" the
granting of the construction permits or
licenses will be heard.
The other applicants ordered to at
tend the hearing are the Intercity Ra-
dio Telegraph Co. of Cleveland, now
operating ship-to-shore service on the
Great Lakes and a limited point-to-
point service, and the Wireless Tele-
graph g. Communications Co. of Chi
cago, the latter maintaining a single
station. These two companies propose
to merge and create national network,
using go channels, and have the back
ing of Warner Bros, Inc, and First
National Pictures, Inc.
Seek Waves as Feeders.
Radio Corporation of America desires
the continental channels for feeder"
to its transoceanic system, claiming it
Is unable to make satisfactory arrange
mentS with existing telegraph COM
panies. Mackay wants them primarily
for the same reason. Col. Manton
Davis of Radio Corporation Of America
asked the commission early this week
to arrange for a new hearing. The COM
mission acceded and made it a general !
hearing
It has been felt that both of these
companies would be accorded at least |
some channels, and this has been stated |
by members of the commission before |
congressional committees. But it now
appears as If this would be impossible |
without disturbing the present short |
wave ALLEGATIONS, because all of the
channels are committed.
The Universal company has been
granted authority to construct radio
telegraph stations in ITO cities, and
must complete its program by December
81, 1881, or else face possible forfeiture
of the 40 channels allocated. 1t hardly
is possible that the commission viii
modest Universal in any way unless 1t
fails to comply with the rigid terms of
the grant to it.
(Copyright, 1929, by the Consolidated Press)