Final answer:
The Federal Radio Commission was created by the Radio Act of 1927 to set standards, assign frequencies, and license radio stations, aiming to regulate the growing chaos in radio broadcasting. It was replaced by the more powerful Federal Communications Commission in 1934, which expanded its oversight to include radio, telephone, and later television, along with enforcing safety and regulation standards in interstate and international communications.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Federal Radio Commission (FRC) was created by Congress with the Radio Act of 1927 to address the chaos of radio broadcasting at the time. Before the FRC, radio stations operated with little legislative control, choosing their broadcasting frequencies and signal strengths, often interfering with one another and military communications, which led to tuning issues for listeners.
]The FRC's role was to set standards, assign frequencies, and license radio stations to create order and improve the reliability of radio communications. However, the FRC faced limitations due to heavy pressure from Congress and had little authority, resulting in the need for a more powerful entity.
The Communications Act of 1934 replaced the FRC, establishing the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The FCC took on a broader mandate, overseeing not only radio but also telephone communication, and later, television broadcasting.
The FCC now regulates interstate and international communications, including radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable, ensuring safety of life and property, promoting public safety and defense, limiting monopolies, and censoring inappropriate materials. The establishment of the FCC aimed to streamline the regulation of communications systems and to support the national defense and safety objectives of the United States.