Radio Act of 1927

The Radio Act of 1927 was signed into law by U.S. President Calvin Coolidge on February 23, 1927, and is considered to be the foundation of broadcast regulation in the United States. The impetus for the legislation was to provide greater control and oversight of the fast-growing wireless communications industry. In the 1920s, the growth of commercial radio stations in the United States was dramatic. Yet little direction existed for how signals were assigned and the strength of the frequencies on which broadcasters operated. As a result, the American airwaves were unregulated, and interference was rampant. Additionally, congressional leaders and vocal citizens believed the airwaves to be an important national public resource and, in an effort to protect them from unregulated exploitation, exerted pressure to ...