Radio Communication Rules

Title 47

• The section of law that explains the radio communication rules is in the Code of Federal Regulations. Title 47 is the section that sets out all the rules for any kind of radio station. That includes commercial stations, low broadcast stations, ones that serve small towns or college stations and public radio stations, which are ones where there are no commercials and the station must find its operating funds elsewhere.

From the Desert to the Sea the FCC Has Control

• The FCC governs everything from how high an antenna is permitted to be to where the transmitters are allowed to be placed. The FCC is very specific about how each type of radio station is allowed to operate. The rules for FM stations are different than those for AM stations. Recent changes to the radio communication rules have now made it possible for AM stations to broadcast on FM translators but only when the AM station is not broadcasting its normal programming. The reason behind this change is to allow the AM stations to be more competitive by being more versatile in their broadcasting abilities.

Low Power Broadcasting Stations

• Low power broadcasting stations must be licensed even if they are no more than a community college radio station, a station that does not broadcast outside of a small town or even a station that only broadcasts tourist information. The FCC has established license requirements for all of these types of low power broadcasters and they must be followed or those running them can be heavily fined. There are even rules for home devices that use radio signals to operate. These include garage door openers, remote controllers used for home entertainment devices as well as remote controls used for toy cars or trucks. The radio communication rules for these types of devices state that the device can only be useful up to a two-hundred foot range. It also must have a signal that will not hinder those sent by radio stations.

Think Before Speaking

• Some of the radio communication rules are standard and therefore are used by all radio stations. These include the fact that there are some words that cannot be used on the radio. The use of obscene language of any kind can result in fines or jail time. Radios may not accept money to play the music of any specific artist. Even the methods by which employees are chosen are carefully controlled by the FCC.

Territories

• FCC rules and regulations vary from state to state. Some states even go as far as setting up territories for each station so that they cannot broadcast farther then the next station or increase the height of their antenna or transmitter to broadcast in a larger range.