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THEFEDERALCOMMUNICATIONSCOMMISSION*美国联邦通信委员会R.H.COASE科斯UniversityofVirginia弗吉尼亚大学I.THEDEVELOPMENTOFGOVERNMENTREGULATION政府法规的发展INTHEUnitedStatesnoonemayoperateabroadcastingstationunlesshefirstobtainsalicensefromtheFederalCommunicationsCommission.TheselicensesarenotissuedautomaticallybutaregrantedorwithheldatthediscretionoftheCommission,whichisthusinapositiontochoosethosewhoshalloperateradioandtelevisionstations.HowdidtheCommissioncometoacquirethispower?在美国除非他先获得了联邦通信委员会发的许可证，否则没人可以经营广播电台。这些许可证不是随意发放的而是要由委员会来决定许可或者扣留，因此委员会就具有了选择谁可以经营广播和电视台的权力。那么，委员会是怎么得到这项权力的呢？Abouttheturnofthecentury,radiobegantobeusedcommercially,mainlyforship-to-shoreandship-to-shipcommunication.1Thisledtovariousproposalsforlegislation.Someofthesewereconcernedwiththepromotionofsafetyatsea,requiringtheinstallationofradioequipmentonships,theemploymentofskilledoperators,Andthelike.Others,anditistheseinwhichweareinterested,weredesignedtobringaboutgovernmentcontroloftheoperationsoftheindustryasawhole.大约在是在本世纪之交，无线电开始被用于商业，主要是船岸和船船之间的通讯。这导致了各种各样的立法提案。其中一些考虑促进海上安全，要求在床上安装无线电设备，雇佣有技术的操作员等等。另一些呢，是我们感兴趣的，整体来说就是为了使政府能控制这一产业的经营。ThereasonbehindsuchproposalscanbeseenfromaletterdatedMarch30,1910,fromtheDepartmentoftheNavytotheSenateCommitteeonCommerce,whichdescribed,clearlyandsuccinctlyaccordingtotheCommittee,thepurposeofthebilltoregulateradiocommunicationwhichwasthenunderdiscussion.TheDepartmentoftheNavyexplainedthateachradiostation我们可以从一封1910年3月30日海军部门写给参议院商业委员会的信中看到这些提案背后的理由，信中参照了委员会的要求清晰简洁地描述了这项当时正在讨论中的规范无限电通信议案的目的。海军部解释道，considersitselfindependentandclaimstherighttosendforthitselectricwavesthroughtheetheratanytimethatitmaydesire,withtheresultthatthereexistsinmanyplacesastateofchaos.PublicbusinessishinderedtothegreatembarrassmentoftheNavyDepartment.Callsofdistressfromvesselsinperilontheseagounheededoraredrownedoutintheethericbedlamproducedbynumerousstationsalltryingtocommunicateatonce.Mischievousandirresponsibleoperatorsseemtotakegreatdelightinimpersonatingotherstationsandinsendingoutfalsecalls.Itisnotputtingthecasetoostronglytostatethatthesituationisintolerable,andiscontinuallygrowingworse.每一个无线电站都视自己为独立的并且主张在任何需要的时候发送它们横贯以太的电波，结果这导致了许多地方的混乱状态。公共的商业被阻碍到让海军部门十分窘迫的地步。来自海上处于危险境地的船只的悲惨呼救无法被注意到或者埋没在由无数电台同时通讯所产生的以太的喧嚣中。恶意的和不负责任的操作者似乎在冒充别的电台和发送错误呼救中感到愉悦。如此严重的情况并没有得到遏制，还在进一步恶化中。TheletterwentontopointoutthattheDepartmentoftheNavy,incooperationwithotherGovernmentdepartments,hasforyearssoughttheenactmentoflegislationthatwouldbringsomesortoforderoutoftheturbulentconditionofradiocommunication,andwhileitwouldfavorthepassageofalawplacingallwirelessstationsunderthecontroloftheGovernment,atthesametimerecognizesthatsuchalawpassedatthepresenttimemightnotbeacceptabletothepeopleofthiscountry.2这封信继续指出，海军部门与其他政府部门协作多年，寻求通过这项可以给混乱无线电通讯状况带来一些秩序的立法，并且它将支持通过一项使所有无线电台处于政府控制之下的法律，同时它也承认在现阶段通过这一法律可能让这个国家的民众觉得难以接受。ThebilltowhichthisletterreferredwaspassedbytheSenatebutwasnotacteduponbytheHouseofRepresentatives.Towardtheendof1911thesamebillwasreintroducedintheSenate.AsubcommitteeconcludedthatitbestowedtoogreatpowersuponthedepartmentsofGovernmentandgavetoogreatprivilegestomilitaryandnavalstations,whileitdidnotaccuratelydefinethelimitationsandconditionsunderwhichcommercialenterprisescouldbeconducted.8Inconsequence,asubstitutebillwasintroduced,andthissecuredtheapprovalbothoftheSenateandoftheHouseofRepresentativesandbecamelawonAugust13,1912.TheActprovidedthatanyoneoperatingaradiostationmusthavealicenseissuedbytheSecretaryofCommerce.+这项针对信中所指内容的法案在参议院得到通过但是在众议院没有起效。到了1991年末同样的法案在参议院再次被提出。一个附属委员会得出结论，“应给予政府部门最大的权力和给予军事和海军的电台最大的特权，而不用精确定义商事企业可以执行的限度和条件。”结果，一条替代法案被提出了，并且稳当地得到了参议院和众议院的批准并且在1912年8月12日成为了法律。这一法案（Act）假设了任何人想要经营无线电台必须要有商务部长颁布的许可证。+Thislicensewouldincludedetailsoftheownershipandlocationofthestation,thewavelengthorwavelengthsauthorizedforuse,thehoursforwhichthestationwaslicensedforwork,etc.Regulations,whichcouldbewaivedbytheSecretaryofCommerce,requiredthestationtodesignateanormalwavelength(whichhadtobelessthan600ormorethan1,600meters),butthestationcoulduseotherwavelengths,providedthattheywereoutsidethelimitsalreadyindicated.Amateurswerenottouseawavelengthexceeding200meters.VariousothertechnicalrequirementswereincludedintheAct.Themaindifferencebetweenthebillintroducedin1910andtheActaspassedwasthatspecificregulationsweresetoutintheAct,whereasoriginallypowerhadbeengiventotheSecretaryofCommercetomakeregulationsandtopreventinterferencetosignalsrelatingtovesselsindistressorofnavalandmilitarystationsbyprivateandcommercialstations;powertomakeregulationswasalsogiventothePresident.4这一许可证将包含所有者和电台位置、波长或者授予实用的波长、电台准许运作的时数等详细信息。这些可能会被商务部长废除的规章，要求电台指定一种标准波长（必须小于600或大于1600米），但是如若他们在明示限制的范围外，电台可以使用其他波长。业余爱好者不许实用超过200米的波长。各种各样的其他技术要求包含在这一法案里。1910年的提案和已通过的这一法案间主要的不同是法案里具体规定的设置，尽管最初的权力给了商务部长制定规章和预防“私人和商业电台对涉及处于困境中的船只或者海军和军事电台的信号”干涉；制定规章的权力同样授予了总统。Itwasnotlongbeforeattemptsweremadetochangethelaw.TheproposalthattheSecretaryofCommerceshouldhavepowertomakeregulationswasrevived.AbillwasevenintroducedtocreateaPostOfficemonopolyofelectricalcommunications.In1917and1918,billswereintroducedwhichwouldhavegiv