75th Anniversary of the FCC
Today marks the 75th anniversary of the Communications Act of 1934. For most of its existence, the Communications Act provided much of the essential regulatory structure for the telecommunications (in Title II of the Act) and broadcast (in Title III) industries. The former provided some of the basis for my own practice back in the 1990s as an associate at a large Chicago law firm, one of whose primary clients was American Telephone & Telegraph Co. (or “AT&T,” as at one point it was formally renamed).
Of considerably broader importance, the Communications Act created the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which has had an extraordinary effect over the decades on the American economy and society. Not so long ago there were calls to abolish the FCC, but they have not achieved success.
This is not to suggest that the FCC is riding high in all respects.