Deck 11: The Communications Act, Licensing, and Structural Regulation

Question 1

What specific constitutional phrase justifies broadcasting coming under congressional jurisdiction?

A)Economic necessity
B)Fair use
C)Interstate commerce clause
D)The First Amendment
E)Equal protection under the law

Answer 1

C

Question 2

This standard, created by Congress, limits FCC discretion.

A)PICON
B)PUCs
C)Title VI
D)NOI
E)NPRM

Answer 2

A

Question 3

The FCC functions in

A)primarily a judicial role, by deciding disputes between broadcasters.
B)primarily a legislative role, since it was created by Congress.
C)primarily an executive role because it puts the will of Congress into effect.
D)a combination of legislative, executive, and judicial roles.
E)accord with specific desires of broadcasters and cablecasters to give them what they want.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

The president nominates __________ FCC commissioners, who serve for __________ years and may be reappointed.

A)five, three
B)five, five
C)seven, three
D)seven, five
E)seven, seven

Question 5

In terms of originating policy and handling applications and letters of complaint and comment from the public, most of the work at the FCC is

A)carried out by staff members.
B)carried out by staff members, but everything must have approval by commissioners.
C)shared equally between the staff members and the commissioners.
D)completed by the commissioners.
E)completed by the commissioners with congressional approval.

Question 6

How does a rule differ from a regulation?

A)A rule becomes effective in 90 days, but a regulation becomes effective immediately.
B)A rule originates with the FCC staff, while a regulation comes from the commissioners themselves.
C)Rule violations are punishable by fines, but regulation violations are punishable by loss of license.
D)Regulatory violations are punishable by fines, while rule violations result in loss of license.
E)No difference exists.The phrase is traditional.

Question 7

Which statement best describes critics' attitudes toward FCC commissioners?

A)They are highly qualified people who take their job very seriously.
B)Commissioners join the FCC with considerable telecommunications experience and are dedicated to serving the public interest.
C)Some are inexperienced individuals and may use their FCC position later to attain higher-paying positions in private law practice and media industries.
D)They are usually academics and communications scholars.
E)They always have business and industry experience in fields other than telecommunications.

Question 8

FCC decisions involving station licenses

A)are not subject to appeal.
B)can be overturned by congressional action.
C)can be appealed to the Federal Appeals Court for the District of Columbia Circuit.
D)can be appealed to the federal district court where the station is located.
E)can be appealed only to the Supreme Court.

Question 9

Before a would-be licensee can build a new broadcast facility he or she must first obtain a(n)

A)allotment license.
B)consent decree.
C)construction permit.
D)ownership permit.
E)EEO provision.

Question 10

Which of the following qualifications is not required of someone applying for a broadcasting license?

A)Previous broadcasting experience
B)Sufficient financial resources
C)Technical ability
D)U.S.citizenship
E)Good character

Question 11

Which of the following methods does the FCC rely on to ensure that stations are operating in the public interest?

A)Constant monitoring of station operations.
B)Monthly monitoring checks of station operations.
C)Licensee self-reports during time of license renewal.
D)Program logs maintained by both stations and FCC bureaus.
E)Complaints from the general public.

Question 12

Currently, broadcast licenses are awarded for __________ years for television and __________ years for radio.

A)three, three
B)three, five
C)five, five
D)five, eight
E)eight, eight

Question 13

About 98 percent of all license-renewal applications are

A)approved after completing a short renewal form.
B)approved after completing a multipage audit form that deals with past programming as well as future goals.
C)automatically approved on the basis of past performance.
D)mutually exclusive.
E)challenged by other broadcasters or public service groups.

Question 14

Which of the following penalties is least used by the FCC?

A)Conditional renewal
B)Short-term renewal
C)Nonrenewal of license
D)Fines
E)Revocation of license

Question 15

Franchises for cable systems are issued by __________ authority.

A)local
B)state
C)congressional
D)FCC
E)federal

Question 16

Provisions of the 1992 cable act amendments included

A)retransmission consent and must-carry rules.
B)SMATV regulations.
C)a deregulatory timetable for cable television.
D)rules for FCC franchising of cable systems.
E)LPTV and TVRO provisions.

Question 17

In 1997, the Supreme Court upheld the __________ provisions, finding that the protection of over- the-air broadcasting was an important government interest.

A)retransmission consent
B)PEG channel capacity
C)must-carry
D)FCC cable franchise fee
E)SMATV regulatory

Question 18

EEO regulations and broadcast signal carriage rules apply to

A)DBS.
B)SMATV.
C)DARS.
D)MMDS, or wireless cable.
E)OVS.

Question 19

Why did Congress remove the ban on cable/telco cross-ownership in Telecommunications Act of 1996?

A)To allow cable to compete with telephone companies in spectrum auctions.
B)To allow the FCC to regulate OVSs as broadcast carriers.
C)To halt local franchise fee levies against cable operators.
D)To allow local municipalities to regulate OVS operations.
E)To stimulate local competition in the multi-channel video market.

Question 20

Since 1980, many regulations have been abandoned in deregulatory moves, and those regulations remaining are usually __________ regulations.

A)behavioral
B)business
C)economic
D)structural
E)fiscal

Question 21

The first set of substantive rules removed from the FCC's books focused on

A)cable television.
B)commercial radio.
C)commercial television.
D)public television.
E)low-power television.

Question 22

FCC deregulatory policy is based on the concept that __________, not the government, should decide which new technologies survive in the marketplace.

A)broadcast station and cable system owners
B)competition
C)consumer advocate groups
D)electronic engineers
E)a congressionally appointed technical commission

Question 23

The Federal Trade Commission settles most cases of alleged advertising deception through

A)consent orders.
B)cease and desist orders.
C)privilege.
D)stipulations.
E)issuing oversights.

Question 24

In press law, __________ concerns the right of news personnel to withhold the identity of news sources and to refuse to surrender personal notes.

A)outtake law
B)reporters' privilege
C)press stipulations
D)access rights
E)oversight

Question 25

All of the following are ways individuals or groups attempt to influence media regulatory policy except

A)oversight hearings.
B)conducting promotional lotteries.
C)boycotts.
D)coverage of electronic media in trade and popular publications.
E)invitations to the White House to discuss policy issues.

Question 26

In the Telecommunications Act of 1996, Congress maintained a national audience cap for commercial television owners by raising it to __________ percent of the television homes in the country.

A)24
B)30
C)39
D)40
E)47

Question 27

Tax certificates and distress sales are two actions permitted by the FCC primarily to

A)allow owners of marginal stations to avoid bankruptcy.
B)encourage group owners to diversify their holdings.
C)increase the number of minority licensees.
D)maintain stations in smaller communities.
E)grandfather existing stations.

Question 28

Because it is impossible to dictate regulatory details in specialized fields, Congress has long delegated authority over complex areas such as power, labor, transportation, and finance to a series of independent regulatory agencies.

Question 29

The FCC licenses radio and television stations to serve in the public interest, convenience, and necessity.

Question 30

The FCC's Media Bureau handles all domestic wireless telecommunications programs and policies.

Question 31

The FCC typically issues edicts as one of its decision-making procedures.

Question 32

In a "report and order," the FCC issues a request for preliminary comment and research on a regulatory policy it is investigating.

Question 33

Equal employment opportunity (EEO) requirements must be met for all broadcast stations and cable systems with five or more full-time employees.

Question 34

Few people who complain to the FCC about broadcast programs realize that their complaints may be discarded because they ask the Commission to violate the First Amendment by censoring material that the writers personally dislike.

Question 35

The relatively low use of FCC sanctions against stations reflects lenient FCC treatment of licensees.

Question 36

"Standing" gives a party the right to participate in a judicial procedure.

Question 37

In license transfers, the FCC issues a public notice of the application and grants it if, after 30 days, no one has objected to the transfer.

Question 38

The Telecommunications Act of 1996 authorized a new provider for delivery of cable services - broadcasters.

Question 39

Under the 1992 Cable Act, every three years broadcasters may request must carry on cable systems in their area or may negotiate a retransmission consent agreement.

Question 40

SMATV systems need franchises to operate and are subject to local access channel requirements.

Question 41

Cigarettes and hard liquor have been formally banned from the airwaves by Congress.

Question 42

Describe the roles of FCC commissioners and staff in rule making.

Question 43

As a potential FM radio station licensee, outline the steps you would take to get your license-from finding a channel to going on the air.

Question 44

In setting up a cable system, you have applied for a franchise.List the steps involved in this franchise and what it will give you and, in return, what will be expected of you as a cable operator.

Question 45

Since 1980 the FCC has modified or eliminated many broadcast and cable rules.List five pre-1980 broadcast regulations in the areas of licensing, ownership, programming, advertising and technical rules, and then list their post-1980 change.

Question 46

Describe deregulatory theories, and describe deregulation's impact on electronic media.

Question 47

Describe how the FCC regulates the following: SMATV, MMDS (wireless cable), and DBS.

Question 48

What is meant by multiple ownership, cross-media ownership, and minority ownership of media outlets?

Question 49

Describe how five of these other laws affect electronic mass media: international treaties, press law, advertising regulation, lottery laws, and equal employment opportunity regulations.