Wagner-Hatfield amendment
Encyclopedia
Wagner-Hatfield amendment was a proposed amendment
to the Communications Act of 1934
aimed at turning over twenty-five percent of all radio channels to non-profit
radio broadcasters. The amendment, proposed by senators Robert Wagner
of New York
and Henry Hatfield of West Virginia
, would have given the issue to the new Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) to study and to hold hearings on the effectiveness of the amendment and to reported its finding to Congress
.
The amendment, was designed to take effect within ninety days of the creation of the FCC and was supported by educators who wanted more radio access. The radio lobby attacked the Wagner-Hatfield amendment fiercely. Initially, it appeared that the amendment would pass, but it was defeated on the Senate floor on May 15, 1934 by a vote of 42-23, mostly because the clause added to the communications bill that called for the FCC to study the viability of the Wagner-Hatfield proposal and report to Congress the following year. The passage of the Communications Act of 1934 Congress effectively removed itself from the discussion of broadcast policy issues.
Amend (motion)
-Explanation and Use:-Main Motions:Any main motion and any motion to amend may be amended. However, a motion to amend a motion to amend may not be amended, due to the overly complex parliamentary situation that would frequently result.-Secondary Motions:...
to the Communications Act of 1934
Communications Act of 1934
The Communications Act of 1934 is a United States federal law, enacted as Public Law Number 416, Act of June 19, 1934, ch. 652, 48 Stat. 1064, by the 73rd Congress, signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, codified as Chapter 5 of Title 47 of the United States Code, et seq. The Act replaced the...
aimed at turning over twenty-five percent of all radio channels to non-profit
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
radio broadcasters. The amendment, proposed by senators Robert Wagner
Robert F. Wagner
Robert Ferdinand Wagner I was an American politician. He was a Democratic U.S. Senator from New York from 1927 to 1949.-Origin and early life:...
of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and Henry Hatfield of West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, would have given the issue to the new Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC) to study and to hold hearings on the effectiveness of the amendment and to reported its finding to Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
.
The amendment, was designed to take effect within ninety days of the creation of the FCC and was supported by educators who wanted more radio access. The radio lobby attacked the Wagner-Hatfield amendment fiercely. Initially, it appeared that the amendment would pass, but it was defeated on the Senate floor on May 15, 1934 by a vote of 42-23, mostly because the clause added to the communications bill that called for the FCC to study the viability of the Wagner-Hatfield proposal and report to Congress the following year. The passage of the Communications Act of 1934 Congress effectively removed itself from the discussion of broadcast policy issues.