FOURTEENTH ANNUAL ~PORT • • ....'t. ",' . FEDERAL': t, COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION FISCAL YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 1948 (With Notation 01 Subsequent Important Developments) UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE' WASHINGTON. 1948 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office Washington 25, D. C. Price 30 cents COMMISSIONERS MEMBERS OF THE FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (As of December 1, 1948) CHAIRMAN WAYNE Coy (Term expires June 30, 1951) PAUL A. WALKER ROBERT F. JONES (Term expires June 30, 1953) ereI'm expires June 30, 1954) ROSEL H. HYDE GEORGE E. STERLING (Term expires June 30, 1952) ('l'erm expires June 30, 1950) EDWARD M. WEBSTFB FRIEDA B. HENNOCK (Term expires June 30, 1949) (Term expires June 30, 1955) II LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL FEDERAL COMMUNiICATlO:NS. COMMISSION, W tMhin(Jton 25, D.O., December 31, 1948. To the OOn(Jre88 of the United States: The Fourteenth Annual Report of the Federal Communications Commission, for the fiscal year 1948, is submitted herewith in compli. ance with section 4 (k) of the Communications Act. This report is intended to give the Congress, the industry, and the public a comprehensive word-picture of the unprecedented expansion of radio and other electrjral communication media and the responsi­ bilities and activities of the Commission in dealing with attendant problems. Since figures and situations in this field are never static, a summary of the more impol'tant developments since the close of the fiscal year is included for convenient reference. Respectfully, WAYNE COY, Ohairman. m [ Page IV in the original document is intentionally blank ] TABLE OF CONTENTS 1'... INTRODUCTORY SUMMARY ._ _ _ ____ _ ___________ 1 1. Highlights of the fiscal year.,... .,.______ 1 2. Subsequent events ._____________________ 6 Ohl'pter I. GENERAL ._ 11 1. Functions . ..• 11 2. Commission_ _____ _____ ____ ____ _____ __ _ 11 3. Staff organization .. 12 4. Personnel____________________________________________ 13 5. AppropriationB_____________________ 13 6. Legffilation .___________ 13 7. Ljtigation_. .. • __ _ 14 8. Hearings___ __________ _____ __ ___ __ ___ __ _____ ___ __ __ 16 II. RADIO FREQUENCIES____ 17 1. Radio spectrum_____ 17 2. Allocation of frequencies_______________________________ 18 3. International conferences ._ 19 4. Frequency changes .oo____ 21 5. Frequency Allocations and Treaty DivisioD... __ . ___________ 23 6. Interdepartrnent Radio Advisory Committee_____________ 23 7. Domestic frequency allocations &Od rules_________________ 24 8. Intemational treaties and agreements_~ ~ 24 III. RADIO BROADCAST SERVICES__________________________________ 25 1. General___ __ ___ __ _______ ___ __ _____ __ ______________ 25 Broadcast regulation ~ •. 25 Postwar growth of broadcasting . _. __________ 26 Broadcast applicatiollS . 26 Broadcast hearings .____________________________ 27 Multiple ownership______ _____ __ _______ __________ __ 27 Broadcast editorializing___ ___ ___________ _ 27 Political broadcast-s .___________________ _ 28 Lotteries____ _____________ _________________ _____ __ 28 Other broadcast policy considerations .. 28 l'retworks ._____ 29 Broadcast station construction costs___ ______________ 29 Group interests in broadcasting___________ 29 Receiving sets .. __________________ 30 2. Standard (AM) broadcast service_______________________ 30 GeneraL ~._ 30 Developments_ __ ___ __________ ____________________ 30 Clear "hannels oo ______ _____ _____________________ 31 540 kilocycles . ____________ _____ __ 32 Special temporary authorizations .___________ 32 V VI TABLE OF CONTENTS Ohapter Paa. III. RADIO BROADCAST SERVICEs-Continued 2. Standard (AM) broadcast service-Continued Small local outlets expand__________________________ 33 Standard·broadcast financial dats___________________ 33 3. Frequency modulation (FM) broadcast service____________ 35 FM continues to grow ~________________ 35 FM applications_ _________________________________ 35 Network operation_ _______________________________ 36 AM duplication over FM stations_____________ 36 FM license period increR.-"led________________________ 36 FM constructioll____ __ ___ __ __ ___ __ 36 FM receivers_____________________________________ 37 4. Television (TV) broadcast service_______________________ 37 Surge in television applicatious and service___________ 37 Experimental television service_____________________ 38 Other television developments______________________ 38 Television receivers 4 39 Television channel allocations ~ 39 5. Noncommercial educational broadcast service_____________ 40 6. International broadcast service_________________________ 41 7. Facsimile broadcast service_____________________________ 41 8. Remote pick-up broadcast service_______________________ 42 9. ST (studio-transmitter) broadcast service________________ 42 10. Developmental broadcast service________________________ 43 11. Broadea.<;t statistics___________________________________ 43 Authorized stations ... ____ _ 43 Broadcast authorizations by States__________________ 43 Broadcast applications_______________________ 45 AM broadca::;t appIications_____________________ 45 FM broadcast applications_ ________________ ____ 45 TV broadcast applications_ ______________ __ ____ 45 All other broadcast applications_________________ 45 • Total broadcast applications____________________ 46 IV. SAFETY AND SPECIAL RADIO SERVICES_________________________ 47 1. GeneraL_ ____ ____ __ __ 47 2. Aeronautical radio services_____________________________ 48 Aviation organizations and conferences______________ 48 Aircraft radio____ ________ _____ __ __ __ __ _ 50 Aeronautical land and aeronautical fixed radio stations_ 51 Airrlrome control stations____________ 51 Aeronautical mobile utility stations__________________ 52 Aeronautical navigation radio stations_ ______________ 52 Flying school radio stations____________ 52 Flip;ht test radio stations___________________________ 52 Aeronautical public service stations .: _______ 52 Aircraft radiotelephone operator authorizations_ ______ 53 3. Marine radio serviceB_____ __ __ ________ __ __ _ 53 General__________________________________________ 53 Safety at sea_ ____________________________________ 55 Safety on the Great Lakes_________________________ 57 Commercial commllnication____________ 57 Radio navigational aids____________________________ 59 TABLE OF CONTENTS VII Cbapter Page IV. SAFETY AND SPECIAL RADIO SERVlcEB-Continued 4. Emergency radio services______________________________ 60 Police radio service________________________________ 61 Fire radio service_~_____________________ 62 Forestry-conservation radio service__________________ 62 Highway maintenance radio service_ __ 63 Special emergency radio service_ ____________________ 63 5. Railroad radio service • __ 63 6. Utility radio serviee ~____________ 64 7. Industrial, scientific, and medical radio service____________ 65 8. Miscellaneous radio services____________________________ 66 Geological radio service • . ~ 67 Motion-picture radio servioo ~ ~_____ 67 Relay press radio service ~ ~ 67 9. Experimental radio services____________________________ 68 10. Low-power radio services ~ ._____ 69 11. Proposed land transportation radio service8______________ 70 Taxicab radio service______________________________ 70 Intercity truck and bus radio services_______________ 70 12. Proposed industrial radio services_______________________ 71 Power radio service_______________________________ 71 Petroleum radio service____________________________ 71 Forest products radio service_______ 71 Special industrial radio service______________________ '12 13. Safety and special services statistics .___ 72 Authorizatious_____ ___ ____________ ____________ ____ '12 Applications____ ___ _____ _____ _________ ________ ____ 73 V. COMMON CARRIERS__________________________________________ 75 1. Common carrier regulation_____________________________ 75 Common carrier radio stationB______________________ '16 Common carrier applicatioDS .. 76 2. Telephone (wire and radio)_____________________________ 76 GeneraL_ ________________ ______________________ __ 76 Domestic telephone services ._________________ 71 Construction of wire facilities , 77 Coaxial cable__ __ _ ___ ___ ____ _______ ________ 77 Dial telephones ._____ 78 Speed of service______________ 78 Rural telephone service ._____________ 78 Telephone recordin~ devices_ ___________________ 78 Cable landing Iicense__________________________ 78 Discontinuance, reduction, or impairment of aerv- ice .___________ 79 l'/ewdevelopments____________________________ 79 Microwave rela.y systems____________ 79 Short-distance radiotelephone service_ ___________ 80 Mobile radiotelephone service__________________ 80 Service in Hawaiian Islands_, ___________________ 81 Coastal and Alaskan service ~ 81 International radiotelephone service ~ __ __ __ _ 81 Message toll telephone service___________________ 81 Program transmission and private-line serviceB____ 81 VIII TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page V. COMMON CARRIERs-Continued 2. Telephone-Continued International radiotelephone service-Continued Equipment- _________ ____ __ ____ __ ___ __ 81 Docket cases ~_ _ 82 Frequencies___ ___________ ________ __ ____ _ 82 Interference_____ _____ __________ ________ 82 International telephone conference___ _____ _ 82 Rates and tariffs • __ __ __ _ 82 Rate Bchedules_ ______________ ______ __ __ _ 82 Special permissions_ _____ _________ __ ____ _ 82 Other-line charges_ 82 Channels for Ji'M program transmission_ __ 83 Channels for TV program transmission___________