In spite of apparent successes, it remains questionable whether communications reform groups have had significant impact on public policy toward broadcasting and its role in American society. Historically, the progressive movement and the rise of government regulatory apparatus underlie the communications reform movement. But the effectiveness of progressivism was undermined by the inherent contradictions of its own assumptions, and regulatory action has been constrained by the commitment to an essentially private, commercial, network-oriented industry. An examination of the licensing authority of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) reveals both increasing success for reformers in the 1960's and 1970's and strong countervailing trends that are dangerous to the reform agenda. In a decade-long policy review process, major affected industries seem to be emerging relatively unscathed, with the reform movement losing the most ground on several major issues, including questions concerning cable television and the power of regulatory agencies to regulate. The reform movement needs to see itself more clearly to become effective and to prevent itself from being an instrument of the institutions it is attempting to change. (JL)