Evening star., 1932-03-27
YOT only political candidates,
| but spokesmen for political

l candidates, will be given
equal opportunity" to use
the radio under the radio law as
it will shortly be rewritten by a
subcommittee of the United States
Senate. Nor will broadcasterS be
allowed to charge the politicians
more for time on the air than they
charge others.
This is one of the important
amendments to the radio act CT
1927 now being contemplated on
Capitol Hill. Being written with
an eye to the forthcoming ma
tional campaign, the provision Is
designed to obviate partiality on
the part of broadcasting station
operators, who now have several
loopholes open to them to circum-
vent the law as at present framed.
The equal opportunity pro-
vision of the radio act now simply
states that "if any licenSee shall
permit any person who is legally
qualified candidate for public Of
flee to use broadcaSting station,
he shall afford equal opportunities
to all other such candidates for
that Office in the use of such
broadcaSting station" Censorship
Of political speeches by the station
operator is specifically prohibited,
but mo obligation is hereby I'M
posed upon any licensee to allow
the use of its station by any such
candidate"
Thus, if one candidate secures
free time from a station or buys
a particular period, all other can
didates have the right to secure
an equivalent privilege under the
same conditions. Some stations
have preferred to eschew politics
and have refused to lend the use
of their facilities to any candl-
dates at all, which is their right.
Under the amended law, as
planned, either candidate or
spokesman will have the right to
answer an opponent over the same
station, and in referendum cam
| paignS it will be mandatory upon
radio stations to permit the use
Of their facilities.
The exact wording of the new
statute remains to be decided by
a subcommittee consisting of
Senators Couzens, Republican, of
Michigan; Dill, Democrat, Of
Washington, and Pittman, Demo-
crat, Of Nevada. The political
section is part of the Davis omni-
bus bill proposing various changes
in the radio law, which has al
ready been passed by the House,
and which has been reported ia
vorably by the Senate Interstate
Commerce Committee. Author of
the bill is Representative Davis,
Democrat, of Tennessee, chairman
Of the House committee in charge
/ Of radio.
| Among other things, the bill
/ proposes a provision prohibiting
lotteries or schemes of chance on
the air; permits one-ffth of the
directorate OF radio license hold
ing company to consist of aliens;
conSolidateS the radio division of
the Department of Commerce
with the Federal Radio Commits
sion, and establishes a system of
! license fees upon all radio stations
oAAiASACiAO Ill IAAS dSS1cSdUG W COIu-
pensate the Government for the
cost of regulating radio-a cost
now amounting to about $1,000,000
annually.
! The license fee scale also re-
mains to be drawn up by the SEN
ate subcommittee. NO definite
decision has been made as to exact
charges, though the main commit
tee was agreed in principle that
fees should be collected from Ii
cense holders. AS basis for
drawing up the new scale of fees,
the subcommittee is working on
the scale proposed several years
ago, which would place stations
on unit basis. Power would de-
termine units, each unit to be
charged $25 per annum. The
basic charge against each sta
ton, regardless of power, would
! be two units.
Thus a 100-watt station, charged
with l unit, would pay for 3.
or $75 a year; 100 to 500 watts,
2 units plus 2, or $100; 500 to 1000
watts, units plus 2, or SIPS;
1000 to 5000 watts, 7 units plus
| 2, or $225; 5000 to 10000 watts, IL