Federal Communications Commission

The Federal Communications Commission is an independent U.S. government agency that regulates interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable.

Spectrum allocation: The assignment of radio-frequency bands to services and users to coordinate access and limit interference. The FCC assigns much of the spectrum used by U.S. wireless services.
Radio Act of 1927: A U.S. law that established federal licensing and oversight of radio broadcasting through the Federal Radio Commission. It created the commission that immediately preceded the FCC.
Net neutrality in the United States: The U.S. policy debate over whether internet service providers may favor, block, or throttle online traffic. FCC rules and classifications have repeatedly shaped the federal approach to open internet access.
Federal Trade Commission: An independent U.S. agency that enforces consumer-protection and competition laws across much of the economy. It shares independent-agency status but focuses on competition and consumer protection rather than communications licensing.
AT&T breakup: The 1984 separation of AT&T's local telephone operations into regional companies following an antitrust settlement. FCC competition policies and proceedings contributed to the regulatory history surrounding telephone restructuring.
Broadcast licensing: The process by which a government authorizes stations to transmit over designated broadcast frequencies. The FCC licenses U.S. broadcast stations and sets conditions for their operation.
Federal Radio Commission: A U.S. agency established in 1927 to regulate radio broadcasting before the FCC. The FCC succeeded this agency under the Communications Act of 1934.
Telephone numbering plan: The system that assigns standardized telephone numbers to subscribers and networks. The FCC oversees numbering policies and delegates administration of numbering resources.
National Telecommunications and Information Administration: A U.S. Commerce Department agency that advises the executive branch on telecommunications and manages federal spectrum use. Unlike the FCC, it is housed in an executive department and does not regulate private communications providers in the same way.
Fairness Doctrine: A former FCC policy requiring broadcasters to address important public issues and present contrasting viewpoints. Its adoption and later repeal illustrate how FCC policy can shape broadcast speech obligations.

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