Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-17
LICENSES OF RADIO
STATIONS PRUNED
Commissioners Decide Per-
mits Should Not Surpass
Watt Power.

Watt for watt. broadcasting stations
now must account for the energy they
use in sending their programs through
space, under new and arbitrary pro-
cedure adopted by the radio rulers.
Stations licensed for q specific
amount Of power must have trans
mitters capable Of that output, or see
their licensed power pruned down to
the capacity of the apparatus Two of
them already have seen It, and the
commission thus has provoked con-
troversy that likely viii wend its way
into the courts.
Three Commissioners Absent.
These synthetic power cuts have been
ordered by Commissioners Harold A.
Lafount and w. D. L. Starbuck, who
are sitting while the other three men,
bers are away from Washington, in the
cases of stations KMO, at Seattle,
Wash, and WRAW, ct Reading, Pa.
The former station is licensed for 500
watts during the evening and 1000
watts in daylight, but the output Of its
transmitter is only 500 watts, so the
two commissioners have ordered its new
license to read 500 watts maximum.
WRAW is licensed for 100 watts, with a
transmitter of but so watts output, and
its power, under its new license, Is cur
tailed to so watts.
1t is another of the series of prece-
dents set during the past few months
by the commission. 1t is designed TO
make licenses conform to the rated
power of stations. To permit stations
to advertise their power as greater than
the actual capacity Of their transmit
ters according to the theory upon
which the commissioners based their
action, is to deceive the public.
Denies Discrimination.
In explanation of the commissions
action, Lafount said it is not intend
as discriminatory in any way. In the
cases of both stations, he declared, the
applications for renewal Of licenses
stated the maximum power Of the trans
mitters to be that for which the COM
mission now has licensed the stations.
IF station is licensed for 100 watts.
but has only q 50-watt transmitter, 1t
can render only the service of 50-watt
station" the commissioner said. I'VE
merely have made the licenses conform
with the actual stipulated power Of
their transmitters."
But another view is taken by George
q. Sutton. former broadcast engineer
OF the COMMISSION, VINO mas deem re-
tanned as both lawyer and engineer by
Station WRAW. There is nothing in
the law, he states, that allows the COM
mission arbitrarily to reduce the licensed
power of a station without q prior hear
ing. A hearing has not been held, he
points out
Attorney Claims Act Illegal.
Moreover, he declares, the action In
the case of his station, as well as of
KMO, was taken without vote Of
legally constituted quorum of the COM
mission Consequently, the action Of
the two commissioners, before 1t can be-
come legally binding, must be ratified
by at least one of the three commits
sioners now away from Washington, he
says.
When the commission adjourned over
the Summer, it adopted an order that
routine and emergency matters could
be handled by less than a quorum of its
membership, subject to the ratification
of a majority. Sutton holds that the
act of amending q license In so impor-
tant a respect as curtailment of power
is neither routine nor emergency, and
that the two commissioners have ex-
ceeded their authority.
Unless the action Is rescinded or
made legal before the present license
period expires at the end of this month,
1t is understood that Sutton will en-
deavor to enjoin the action.
copyright, 1880, BY the Consolidated PressJ