For nearly half a century, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has been exercising its authority to grant and deny applications for broadcast licenses. In the process of comparison used by the FCC to assess qualified new applicants, two considerations weigh heavily: (1) the best practicable service to the public, and (2) maximum diffusion…

In the 1978 "FCC v. Pacifica Foundation" ruling, the United States Supreme Court considered the authority of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to regulate indecent radio programing, finding that the public has a constitutionally protected interest in being protected against objectionable programing. The FCC suit, arising out of…

While the First Amendment guarantees an individual the right to be heard, this is an issue distinct from assuring the opportunity to be heard. In broadcast media, the opportunity, or access, has been largely determined by two factors: economics, or who owns the means to an audience, and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulation of the…