Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1938-11-10
Bruckart's Washington, Digest
Bruckart's Washington Digest
General housekeeping in Federal
Communications Board Is Needed
History of Control of Radio Story of Troubled Days;
Public Is Concerned Because Free Speech Is Involved;
Split on Board Adds to General Confusion.
BY WILLIAM BRUCKART
WNU Service, National Press Bldg. Washington D. c.


WASHINGTON.- 1T seems among
the inevitable and unavoidable
things that there must be growing
pains when the government starts
execution of any new policy. This
always has been the case. ] as
sumo it is going to be true always,
and it does not matter whether that
new policy involves something as
inherently governmental as govern
ment supervision of public serv-
ices or something as inherently po-
litical as the national emergency
council. The latter institution ought
to have as a part Of its title some
words designating its value as the
hod carrier in political emergencies,
such as the recent purge" Of DEM
ocrats who insisted on being Demo
Gratis as distinguished from New
Dealers. -
With that preface, we can exam
inc into the situation that exists in
the federal communications COM
mission. AS laymen whose only con-
tact with radio is on the listening
end, or whose only contact with
telephones is to use them for bust
ness and social intercourse, or
whose only contact with the tele-
graph is to send or receive mes
sages, well, obviously we laymen
do not know much about the F. c. c.
But that does not excuse any of us
for lack Of interest. For F. c. c.
is just as close to you and me as the
interstate commerce commission is,
and unless miss my guess it will
be even closer in the years to come.
There has been a measure of con-
troll over radio for years, and they
have been troublesome years, both
for the agency administering the
law and the industry forced to abide
by the law. Within the last few
years, however, there has come into
existence the F. c. c. which is con-
cerned not alone with radio, but
with telephones and telegraphs.
These latter industries, however,
are themselves settled down and out
of their teens. They have got by
the growing pains, but as for radio,
the story is quite different and de-
cidedly more important, because
there are fundamental dangers to
you and me in the situation.
Federal Control of Radio
Story of Troubled Days
The history of federal control Of
radio, as I said above, is a story of
troubled days. The bulk Of the
trouble has been due to the type Of
personnel selected for administra-
ton of that control. That Is to say,
politics Is to blame as much as any
thing. Politicians win endorse any
screwy bird, long-haired theorist or
narrow-eyed half-breed If such en-
dorsement will get him votes or help
hold the royal order Of nose-pickers
In line at election time.
And that is why, or largely why,
the federal communications COM
mission at this writing is undergo
ing pains like / used to have when
allowed my childish enthusiasm to
overcome my judgment and ate APP
pies before they were ripe. !
wouldn't care how many Of the boys
on the government payroll had tum-
my aches about their jobs, or how
many private and bitter words
passed between highups or low
downs in the commission except for
the fact that precedents are being
established that will affect you and
me directly as the years roll by.
The things that have developed in
the F. c. C. concern US because