ITY OF MICHIGAN AUG S HEARING BEFORE A SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE MAIN PRADING ROOM COMMITTEE ON INTERSTATE AND FOREIGN COMMERCE UNITED STATES SENATE EIGHTY-FOURTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION ON S. 1549 A BILL TO AMEND THE COMMUNICATIONS ACT OF 1934 SO JUNE 21, 1955 Printed for the use of the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce 64638 UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON: 1955 CONTENTS Becker, William E., director of operations, Air Transport Association, 1107 16th Street NW., Washington, D. C.. Beelar, Donald C., counsel for Aeronautical Radio, Inc., World Center Courtney, Jeremiah, counsel for American Trucking Association, American Taxicab Association, National Bus Communications, Inc., and American Automobile Association, 908 20th Street NW., Cutler, Charles R., counsel for Alaska Aviation Radio, Inc., 800 World Center Building, Washington, D. C. Webster, Edward M., Commissioner, Federal Communications Com- Arnold, Milton W., vice president, operations and engineering,_Air Transport Association of America, Washington, D. C., dated June 24, 1955, to Senator Pastore, in response to questions asked during Bartlett, Hon. E. L., Delegate from Alaska, House of Representatives, Washington, D. C., enclosing the views of Fritz Wien, operations manager, WIEN Alaska Airlines, Inc., Fairbanks, Alaska- Beardmore, George W., secretary, North Idaho Forestry Association, Bendio, R. H., vice president, North Central Airlines, Inc., 6201 34th Avenue, South, Minneapolis 23, Minn... Cunningham, J. R., United Air Lines, Stapleton Airfield, Denver 7, Foley, Henry E., counsel, Northeast Airlines, Inc., 10 Post Office Grandison, Earle L., Northern Consolidated Airlines, Inc., Inter- Hodge, W. C., Tree Farmers, Inc., P. O. Box 1361, Missoula, Mont.. Kilgore, Hon. Joe M., House of Representatives, Washington, D. C., enclosing a resolution adopted by the Brownsville Shrimp Producers Association, P. O. Box 130, Brownsville, Tex.. Kirkwood, Charles C., general manager, National Logging Co., Inc., McConnaughey, George C., Chairman, Federal Communications Olin, Robert W., chairman, Forest Industries Radio Communications, Rogers, William P., Deputy Attorney General, Department of Justice, Sayen, Clarence N., president, Air Line Pilots Association, 55th Street Welker, Hon. Herman, United States Senator from the State of Idaho, to Senator Magnuson, enclosing a letter from Mr. George W. Beardmore, secretary, North Idaho Forestry Association, Lewis.on, Wien, Fritz, operations manager, WIEN Alaska Airlines, Inc., Fair- 2 9 5 5 5 IMPOSITION OF ADMINISTRATIVE FINES BY FCC TUESDAY, JUNE 21, 1955 UNITED STATES SENATE, COMMITTEE ON INTERSTATE AND FOREIGN COMMERCE, SUBCOMMITTEE ON COMMUNICATIONS, Washington, D. C. The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:08 a. m. in room G-16, United States Capitol, Senator John O. Pastore (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding. Present: Senator Pastore and Senator Payne. (Staff member assigned to this hearing: Nicholas Zapple, Communications Counsel.) Senator PASTORE. The subcommittee will come to order. This hearing involves the bill S. 1549, introduced by Senator Magnuson at the request of the Federal Communications Commission. S. 1549 would amend the Communications Act of 1934 so as to provide authority for the Commission to impose fines in cases of violations of its rules and regulations applicable to all radio stations other than those in the broadcast service. There are four witnesses on this bill: the Federal Communications Commission; Donald Beelar, representing Aeronautical Radio, Inc.; and Jeremiah Courtney, representing the American Taxicab Association, Inc., National Bus Communications, Inc., American Trucking Associations, Inc., and American Automobile Association, Inc.; and Charles Cutler, Alaskan Aeronautical Radio, Inc. At this point, a copy of S. 1549 will be made a part of the record. Also, without objection certain letters referring to this bill will also be made part of the record, and a copy of the letter from the FCC to the United States Senate urging the introduction of this legislation, and a copy of the report from the Department of Justice on this bill. (The documents referred to above are as follows:) [S. 1549, 84th Cong., 1st sess.] A BILL To amend the Communications Act of 1934 so as to authorize the imposition of administrative fines by the Federal Communications Commission for violations of its rules and regulations, and to authorize the remission or mitigation of such fines by the Commission Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That section 503 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, is amended (a) by striking out the heading and inserting in lieu thereof "FORFEITURE IN CASES OF REBATES AND OFFSETS AND OF VIOLATIONS OF RULES OR REGULATIONS"; (b) by inserting "(a)" after "SEC. 503."; and (c) by adding at the end a new subsection as follows: "(b) Any person who violates any rule or regulation made by the Commission under this Act to govern any radio station, except licensed radio stations in the broadcast services, and the licensee of any such radio station at which such violation occurs, shall, in addition to any other penalty prescribed by law, each forfeit to the United States the sum of $100." |