Evening star., 1934-03-25
PASSAGE OF RADIO
BILL IS HELD ,UR
Controversy Is Seen Delay.
ing Measure to Control
Communications. 4
BY MARTIN CODEL,

"\HEHE are 50 many angles,
mostly controversial, to the
Dill-Rayburn bills proposing a
i Federal Communications Com
mission that the measure will
probably get into many congress
sional tangle before one of them
reaches President Roosevelt for final
approval, if any bill is enacted at all.
Only on one point do most of the
interested parties seem to agree. That
is that Congress, during the present
session, limit itself to legislation fol-
lowing out the simple recommended
tions of the Presidents. recent mes
sage. He asked merely for a trans
fer to the proposed new Communica-
tions Commission of the powers now
lying with the Federal Radio Com
mission and the Interstate Commerce
Commission over the radio, telephone
and telegraph systems.
Oddly enough, Republican Sen
ator, Wallace White, jr., of Maine, in
troduced a bill to that effect. Unlike
the Dill and Rayburn bills, which are
loaded with amendments to the ex-
isting laws, the White bill is shorn
of any addenda that would add teeth
to the present regulation of radio and
the wires Senator White proposed
his bill as substitute for Senator
Dill's.
Study Is Suggested.
President Roosevelt's message sug-
gested that the new commission,
which presumably would consist OF
five or seven members, be first es-
tablished and given full power to
investigate and study the business Of
existing companies and make recon-
mendations to the Congress for ad-
ditional legislation at the next ses-
SION" II anything is done at all, it
seems at this writing that this Is
what will be done.
Indeed Senator Dill himself inti-
mated that he may abandon at least
some of his amendments when he an
nounced that he intends to ask Con-
greSs to authorize an investigation OF
the American Telephone & Tele-
graph Co., one Of the chief opponents
of his bill as now written. 1t is logi-
cal that the findings of such an in
vestigation would be awaited before
| drastic new regulatory powers are
assigned to the new Communications
Commission.
Senate committee hearings on the
Dill bill were concluded last week,
and Representative Rayburn does not
expect to reach hearings on his bill
until April 1 or later. The House
committee intends to 60 into COM
munications even more eXhaustively
than did the Senate committee whose
members had held many hearings in
the last few years on the subject and
were better versed in its manifold
complexities. Senator Dills commit
tee now has the bill up for considera-
ton, and the best guess is that a
simple measure along the lines Of the
Presidents message will be reported
to the full Senate.
Passage Doubted.
Whether either the Senate or House
can get even so simple measure
through is conjectural. 1t may take
several weeks or a month for Repre-
sentative Rayburn to conclude his
hearings, unless he Unexpectedly holds
them short. By that time Congress
may be making ready to adjourn.
Even if both houses report simple
bills, it is a certaintainty that every
other member Of Congress will have
some pet amendment to propose from
the floor-and the administration if
it really wants a bill pushed through
at this session. will be faced with
some devious floor maneuvering to
prevent its being begged down with
amendments.
A brief summary Of the Senate
hearings will give some idea of the
manifold complexities and contro-
versies inherent in the present COM
municationS bills. Chairman Sykes
of the Radio Commission indorsed the
proposal for a Communications Com
mission, but wants the Davis amend
ment, which dictates territorial di-
vision of the broadcast wave lengths,
repealed for the better administration
of the radio act.
The organized broadcasters and net
works favor a Communications Com
mission, but they, too, want the Davis
amendment stricken and they strenu-
ously oppose the alleged damaging"
effects of certain of the Dill riders.
Telephone, telegraph and radio COM
panies are not opposed to Communi-
cations Commission, but they have
certain objections. Chief of these is
the proposed frightened regulation of
the telephone company, which claims
to do SO per cent of its business in
intrastate commerce and to be regu-
lated already by utility commissions in
most of the States.
The National ASSocia ton of Rail-
road and Utility Commissions insists
that regulation OF the telephones is
primarily State function, and wants
safeguards against Federal encroach-
ment. So does the National Associ-
alton of Public Utility Executives.
The Navy Department wants insur-
ance in the law against alien influence
among radio license holders. The
telegraphers' union wants protection
against mechanical devices that do
away with man power and asks pro-
lection for organized labor.
Then comes the Chamber Of Com
merce, supporting the Presidents
recommendations and urging that
legislation be limited to an immedi-
ate transfer for the existing regula-
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