Federal Communications Commission (As of June 30,1958)
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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION 24th Annual Report For Fiscal Year 1958 With report summary and notations of later important developments UNITEO STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE - WASHINGTON For sale by the Superintendent of boevmenll, U.S. Government Printing Office W.lIbinsiOD 25, D. C. • Pl'iee SO _at. (paper) COMMISSIONERS Members of the Federal Communications Commission (As of June 30,1958) JOHN C. DOERFER, Chairman ("(l'nll (.'.\:pir('!f .ltrt!1! 30, HlGl) ROSEL H. HYDE (Term expires June 30, 1959) ROBERT T. BARTLEY (Term expires June 30, 1965) ROBERT E. LEE (Term. expires June 30, 11:160) T. A. M. CRAVEN (Term expires June 3Q, Ul(3) FREDERICK W. FORD (Term expires June 30, 1964) JOHN S. CROSS (Term expires June 30, 1962) A liet of present and past Commissioners appears in the appendix to this report. n LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION, Wtl8Mnrlton 25, D. O. To the Oongress of the United States: The Federal Communications Commission herewith transmits its 24th annual report for the fiscal year 1958. Subsequent important developments are noted for more current reference. The report contains information and data specified by the Congress in section 4 (k) of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended. Further required biographies of employees joining the Commission during the fiscal year, also a list of those leaving during that period, are being reported in a nonprinted supplement. Respectfully, JOHN C. DOERFER, Ohairman III [ Page IV in the original document is intentionally blank ] Table of Contents Page REPORT SUMMARy..........................•...................... 1 General. ... .. .... 1 Common carrier . 2 Telephone , ' . 2 Telegraph....................•............................... 2 International. ........................................•...••... 3 Safety and special . 3 Broadcast _ . 4 TV........................................................•. 4 FM......................................................•... 5 AM . 5 Tall towers. ...................... .. 5 Field engineering and monitoring. ... 5 Rerearch and laboratory , . 6 Frequency allocation . 6 National defense. ...................... 7 Commission . 7 GENERAL. 9 Organization chart , " . 8 Commission . 9 Commissioners. ................. .. 10 Staff organization... .. .... .. .. 11 Personnel . 11 Appropriations and expenditures . 11 Dockets ,. 12 Litigation . 12 Important cases ~ . 13 Comparative TV decisiomtl standards . 13 Allocation rnlemaking cases ,. 14 Standing to protest under section 309 (c) . 14 Power of the Commission to subpena records . 14 Economic {actors in broadcast grants . 14 Suspension of operators'liceo8e8 . 15 Effect of change in TV alloeations . 15 I.egislation ' . 15 Commission proposals . 16 Authorizations. .............................. 17 Applications . 17 Correspondence . 18 Releases and publications. ................... 18 Foreign technical assistance . 18 General problems . 19 v VI TABLE OF CONTENTS Page NATIONAL DEFENSE. .............................................. 21 War emergency powers of President. .. ............................... 21 Conelrad in war and peace ,... 21 National defense purpose. ...................................... 21 Peacetime use. ................................................ 22 Othec defense activities. ........................................ 23 National defense executive reserve unit ... _........................... 23 ELECTRONICS AND COMMUNiCATION............................ 25 Today....................................................... 25 Tomorrow. .................................................. 27 FREQUENCY ALLOCATION AND USE............................... 29 General. .. 29 National frequency allocations. .................................... 30 International frequency allocation. .................................. 32 International frequency usage data. ......................... 33 International frequency assignment coordination. ...................... 33 International conferences and meetings. .............................. 34 International interference and infractions. .................. 34 National frequency records. ........................................ 34 International frequency records and registration. ...................... 35 National frequeney assignment coordination. ......................... 36 COMMON CARRIER SERVICES. .. .. .... .. ...... .. .. ... .. ..... .. ... 38 Domestic telephone. ............................................... 38 General. .. ... ... ... ... .. .. ... ....... ... ... .. .. .. .... 38 Services and faeilities. ......................................... 38 Construction of interstate facilities..... .. .. .. ... 38 Discontinuance of service. .................................. 40 Speed of serviee. .......................................... 40 Acquisitions and consolidatioD.8. ............................. 40 Interlocking directorates. ................................... 40 Common carrier microwave radio frequency problems. .......•. 40 Microwave facilities for closed circuit TV. .................... 40 Domestic public land mobile radio service. .. •. ................ 41 Rural radiotelephone service. ............................... 43 Public radiotelephone service to vessels.. ..................... 43 Developmental domestic public aeronautical service... .. 43 Rates and tariffs. .............................................. 44 Private line service rates..... ... 44 Bell System lease-maintenance service. ....................... 44 Off-the-air pickup TV transmission channels. ................. 45 Tariff filings. ............................................. 45 Other regulatory matlers. ...................................... 45 Depreciation. .....................................•....... 45 Separation procedures. ..................................... 45 Western Electric earnings and prices. ........................ 46 Pensions and relief. ........................................ 46 Original cost accounting. .........•......................... 46 Continuing property records. ............................... 46 Field studies and reviews. .................................. 47 Uniform systems of accounts... ..... ... ... ... .... ... ..•.. 47 Preservation of records. .................................... 48 TABLE OF CONTENTS VII COMMON CARRIER SERVI<ES-<ontinued Pa.. Domestic telegraph. ...........•.•••............................... 48 General. .................•.................... '" .. 48 Services and facilities. .....•................................... 49 Moderaization expenditures.. ............................... 49 Reperforatol' switching. •................................... 49 Radio beam. ..........•................................ 50 Carrier equipment. ....•............. ......... 51 Private we systems.. .. ........ .. .. .. .... .. .. .. .. 51 Facsimile and teleprinter UeHnes. .. .......................... 51 Electronic data processing. ................................. 52 TEI.EX service. .......................................... 52 Supplementa.tion and extension of wire facilities. .............. 53 Curtailment of service..... .•.•.. ..... .. .. .. .. ... .. ... .. 53 Speed of service. ...................•...................... 53 Rates and tariffs '" . .....•... ........•.. 54 Domestic telegraph rates. .................................. S4 Leased facilities services. ................................... 55 Tariff schedules. .......................................... 56 International telegraph and telephone.. _............... 56 General '" "..... .. .. 56 Intemational conferences. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .... .. .. .. .. 57 International services. ....... 57 Telegraph. ....................................... 57 Telephone. ............................................... 58 Docket ca.ses. ................................................. 58 Puerto Rico applications. ................................... 58 Western Union divestment '" '" .. S9 Far East traffic....... .. .. '" ... .. .. ......• 59 Delays in handling international press traffic. ................. 59 Mackay offer of free TELEX equipment. .................... S9 International telegraph rates. ............................... 59 Radiotelephone service to Hawaii.............. ... 60 Western Union practices under internatbnal formula.... 60 Circuits to Turkey and Israel. ................... .......... 60 Western Union-Globe and Tropical oontracts..... ... ... .. .. 60 Canadian traffic transiting United States. .................... 60 Participation under international formula. .................... 61 Tariff schedules. contracts, and miscellaneous reports , .. .... 61 Rate level and structure. ....................................... 61 Other regulatory matters. ...................................... 61 Relief and pensiolls. .................................. 61 Depreciation. ...••........................................ 61 Continuing property records. ............................... 62 Accounting compliance. .................................... 62 Statistics. ............•....................................... ... 62 General. 62 Telephone carriers. ............ .. ,.................... 62 Telephones by States.. ...................................... 63 Domestic telegraph carrier. ..................................... 64 International telegraph carriers... .. .. .. .. .. .. ... .. .. .. .. ... 65 International telegraph and telephone traffic. ..................... 66 Common carrier applications. ................................... 69 vm TABLE OF CONTENTS Page SAFETY AND SPECIAL