THIRTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION FISCAL YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 1947 (With Notation 01 Subsequent Important Developments) UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE· WASHINGTON. 1947 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office Washington 25, D. C. Price 25 cents l ,COMMISSIONERS 1 MEMBERS OF THE FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION: [As of October 1, 1947] CHAIRMAN CHARLES R. DENNY 1 (Term expires June 30, 1951) PAUL A. WALKER' ROSEL H. HYDE (Term expires June 30, 1953) (Term expires June 30, 1952), CLIFFORD J. DURR EDWARD M. WEBSTER (Term expires June 30, 1948) (Term expires June 30, 1949) EWELL K. JETT ROBERT F. JONES (Term expires June 30, 1950) (Tcnn expires Jun-e 30, 1954). I Resigned 8S of Oct. 31, 1947. 2Dtsignated Acting ChairfQll.n Nov'. 3, 1947. 11 LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION, Washingtlm 35, D. C., December 31, 1947. To the Cong"ess of the United State8: Pursuant to section 4 (k) of the Communications Act, there is sub­ mitted herewith the Thirteenth Annual Report of the Federal Com­ munications Commission, covering the fiscal year 1947. This report reflects the mounting volume of work aild complexities involved in regulating postwar advances in the field of electrical com­ munications. Electronic and other developments are so fast moving that situations and statistics as of June 30, 1947, have altered con­ siderably in the ensuing 6 months. For that reason, there is included a summary of the more important of these subsequent events. Respectfully, PAUL A. ·WALKER, Acti"g Chairman. III [ Page IV in the original document is intentionally blank ] TABLE OF CONTENTS Page REPORT SUMMARY____________ __ _____________ _________________ XI 1. Highlights of the fiscal year ~ _________________________________ XI 2. Subsequent developments~ ,._______________________________ XIV Chapter I. GE}jERAL .. __ 1 1. Administratioll ,. ,. ,. ~ ~ ___ 1 2. Commissioners ~ ,. ___ 1 3. Staff organization_ _________________________________ ___ 1 4. PersonneL . 2 5. Appropriations . ___________________________ 2 6. Legislation__ __ ___ __ __ ___ __ ___ __ 3 7. Litigatioll ~ 3 8. Statistics ~__ __ __ ___ __ __ 6 9. Board of War Communications_________________________ 6 II. RADIO FREQUENCIES____ ____________ _ _ _ __ __ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ ____ _ _ _ ___ 7 1. Radio Spectrurn_ ____ _________________________________ 7 2. Frequency service-allocations___________________________ 7 3. Government frequencies_______________________________ 7 4. Nongovernment frequencies ~___ 8 5. InternationaL ________________________________________ S International telecommunications conferences ~ 8 Other international conferences_ ____________________ 10 III. RADIO BROADCAST SERVICES ~___ 18 1. Broadcast atations soar in number___ 13 2. Multiple ownership___________________________________ 14 3. (lErue book" changes_________________________________ 14 4:. Standard broadcast service____________________________ 14 Demand for facilities continues____________________ 14 Licensed stations pass onc-thous&1ldth mark___ ______ 14 More small local outlets__________________________ 15 Daytime stations increasc ~___ ___ ____ 15 Temporary expediting prooedure___________________ 15 Hearings___ __ __ __ __ __ _ __ 16 Clear channel study______________________________ 16 North American Regional Broadcasting AgreemenL__ 17 General interference consideration__________________ 17 Sky,vave interference_____________________________ 17 Economic study of standard broadcasting_ __________ 18 Standard broadcast financial data_ _________________ 18 5. Frequency modulation (FM) broadcast service___________ 20 Gro"\vth of FM broadcasting ~______________ 20 'F11 applica.nts______ __ ___ __ ______ __ __ __ _ 20 Fi\1 construction_____ __ ______ _____ _ ______ 21 FM frequencies, cha.nnels and stations______________ 21 FM rcceivers____________ 22 v TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Ill. RADIO BROADCAST SERVIcEs-Continued Pa.ge 6. Television broadcast service_._~_______________________ 22 Television stations • _________ ___________ 22 Television deve1opments_ _________ ________________ 23 Television receivers_ ________ ___________ _____ _____ 23 Color television hearing___ ________________________ 23 Television frequency sharing_ ___________ __________ 24 Experimental television service_ ___________________ 25 Television remote pick-up broadcast stations_ _______ 25 Television network operation ~_________ 26 7. International broadcast servicc________________________ 26 8. Noncommercia.l educational broadcast service_____ _______ 27 9. Facsimile broadcast service ~ _:.._________ 28 10. Remote pick-up 'broadcast service ~______ 28 11. ST (Studio-transmitter) broadcast service_______________ 28 12. Developmental broadcast service ...; _______ __ 29 13. Statistics_____ __ __ __ __ __ ____ 29 IV. SAFETY AND SPECIAL RADIO SERVICES .___________________ 31 1. GeneraL__ ________________ ___________________________ 31 2. Aeronautical Radio Services____________________________ 31 Aircraft radio ~__ _____ ____ __ 32 Aeronautical land and aeronautical1ixed radio stations_ 33 Airdrome control radio stations ~_____________ 34 Aeronautical mobile utility radio stations_ _______ ____ 34 Aeronautical navigation radio stations_ __ __ __________ 34 Flying school radio stations .;. ______ 35 Flight test radio stations___________________________ 35 3. l\Iarine radio services__________________________________ 35 Frequency assignments_ ___ __ __ __ ___ ____ 35 New marine radio devices__________________________ 36 Radio Technical Commission for Marine Services_____ 36 Marine radio interference__________________________ 36 Marine radio equipment development_______________ 37 Radio aid in sea disasters ~ ._____ 37 Exernptions ~ ~___ 37 'Waivers ,____ __ __ __ __ 37 Rule changes ~ 38 Ship radio stations ~ ~___ 38 Coastal radio stations ~ ___ 38 Marine radio relay service ~___________________ 38 Alaskan point-to·point and coastal radio stations_____ 39 4. Emergency radio service_______________________________ 39 Police radio stations_______________________________ 39 Municipal fire radio stations________________________ 40 Forestry radio stations_____________________________ 41 Special emergency radio stations____________________ 41 Proposed highway maintenance radio stations________ 42 5. Utility radio service___________________________________ 42 6. Railroad radio service_________________________________ 43 TABLE OF CONTENTS VII 'Chapter IV. SAFETY AND SPECIAL RADIO SERVICEs-Continued Pace 7. Miscellaneous radio services____________________________ 43 Geological radio statiolls .l___________ 44 Motion picture radio stations ' .!___________ 44 Relay press radio stations ~______________ 44 State Guard radio statioos .:..____ 44 8. Experimental radio services .:.___________ 45 General__________________________________________ 46 Radar ~_______________ 46 ~ncrowave relay :. _________ ___ _______ 46 Teleca.r service . ~__ ___ _____ 47 General mobile radio servioo .. 47 Industrial radio service ~__ 49 Industrial, scientific and medical radio seryice_ _______ 50 Citizens radio service______________________________ 51 Rural and short-distance toll radiotelephone service_ __ 52 9. Statistics ";"_ _____ ____ 52 V. COMMON CARRIERS j-_.:_______________ 55 1. Telephone (wire and radio)_____________________________ 55 General ~l_______________ 55 Domestic telephone services L______________ 55 Construction of wire facilities :...:_______________ 55 Speed of t.oU service .. 56 Telephone recording devices ~_______________ 56 Rural telephone service____________________________ 56 Power line telephone service -l___________ 56 Short distance radiotelephone service .i___________ 56 Coaxial cable service_ ______ _____ ______________ 57 Microwa.ve relay service___________________________ 57 Mobile radiotelephone service .. __ 57 Coastal and Alaskan services ._____ 58 International radiotelephone services_ __________ _________ 58 Overseas private line service________________________ 58 Oversea.s program transmission service_ _____ _________ 58 Rates and tariffs______________________________________ 59 Rate schedules_ ___________ ___ _______ _____________ 59 Special permissions___ ______ _____________ __________ 59 Washington metropolitan area______________________ 59 /lOther Line" charges______________________________ 59 Cooperation with regulatory bodies_____________________ 59 Separation of property, revenues and expenses________ 59 Bell System license contracts " ..:___________ 60 State rate cases___________________________________ 60 Accounting regulations "" __ -t_ __ ___ __ ______ _ 60 Uniform system of accounts " -1_______________ 60 Financing and refinancing__________________________ 60 Pensions and relieL ..:_______________ 60 Preservation of records_ ___________________________ 61 New types of plant and services ...:_______________ 61 Restatement of plant on basis of original cost________ 61 Original cost schedules in annual reports_____________ 61 Continuing property records________________________ 61 New plant accounting .__________ 62 VIn TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter V. COMMON CARRIERs-Continued Page Increase in depreciation charges_____________________ 62 Depreciation methods_ ____________________________ 62 Filing of depreciation dats_________________________ ·62 Statistics. __ ... w_.__ __ 63 2. Telegraph (wire, cable and radio}. ... 63 Domestic service and facilities. .. _________________ 63 Western Union modernization program__________ 63 -Domestic radiotelegraph.