Federal Communication Commission (FCC)

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is the regulatory agency in the United States charged with oversight of electronic communications (Television Broadcasting, Regulation of; United States of America: Media System). Since the 1980s, it has taken much of the blame for the lack of diversity and the concentration of ownership in US broadcasting, the rise of  media conglomerates, and pro-market regulation of Internet-related industries. The FCC has more responsibilities and autonomy than regulators in other industrialized countries. Since its creation, the commission has been controversial. It was meant to uphold the decision of Congress following World War I that broadcasting should be mostly commercial and free of government control; but also to insure that access to the airwaves was allocated responsibly and that those granted access put the public’s interest before their own (known as the “trusteeship model”).