Telecommunications policy making and institutions of the US government

Telecommunications policy making and institutions or the US government

Paul Polishuk

Telecommunications policy making in the US government is performed by its legislative, executive, and judicial branches. The role of organisations in each is reviewed in the light of present and future specific policy questions. Although policy is made by decisions of the legislative and executive branches, actions by the judiciary also make policy, although no formal institutional structure exists for handling telecommunications p e r se. Descriptions of the most important policy-making agencies are included, based on their active participation in the development of national telecommunications policy or research. Where appropriate, specific examples of policy issues under study or consideration are given.

Telecommunications policy in the US government is made by a few organisations and institutions with the assistance of many others. Day-to-day policy and regulation is the responsibility of the Federal Communications Commission but influenced by other government bodies. Long-term policy is developed by a number of organisations including the Federal Communications Commission, the Office of Telecommunications Policy in the White House, the Congress, and the Courts. At times it is not clear who is making long-term US policy, or what it is, because of the different actions involved. The major functions of the US government are shown in Figure 1. The three main divisions of this structure are the legislative, judicial, and executive branches. Only the legislative and executive branches are described below.

Policy making in the legislative branch There are two main policy-making and two research organisations responsible for telecommunications in the legislative branch: •

The author is President of Horizon House International, 610 Washington Street, Dedham, Massachusetts 02026, USA.

1'Technology Assessment Act of 1972', Committee on Rules and Administration, HR 10243, 92nd Congress, 2nd Session, Report No 92-1123, US Government Printing Office, Washington, DC, 13 September 1972.

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• Figure 1 (facing page). The government of the USA.

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House of Representatives - Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee, Subcommittee on Communications. This subcommittee has jurisdiction over all communications by satellite, broadcasting, radio, common carriers, interstate communications by wire, and such jurisdiction over communications and media as in the jurisdiction of the full committee. Their activities have included CATV legislation, and telecommunications policy and research in the federal government. Future activities will include consideration of the Consumer Communications Act and spectrum management. Senate Commerce Committee, Subcommittee on Communications. This subcommittee has been relatively dormant recently, with the pending retirement of its Chairman, John Pastore. Office of Technology Assessment. The OTA was established by the Congress in 1972 ~ to aid in the identification and consideration of existing and probable impacts of technological T E L E C O M M U N I C A T I O N S POLICY December 1976

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application. The basic responsibilities and duties of the OTA are to provide an early appraisal of the probable impacts, positive and negative, of the applications of technology and to develop other information which may assist the Congress in exercising legislative tasks. In their short existence, the only telecommunications activities in which they have been involved have been rural telecommunications.2 General Accounting Office (GAO). The major functions of the GAO are to investigate and analyse telecommunications problems at the request of the Congress and to make operational, administrative, and policy recommendations. Areas where their support has been sought include spectrum management, 3 government use of its own network, 4 navigation system policy, 5 and emergency warning system policy. 6

Policy making in the executive branch

z "The feasibility and value of broadband communications in rural areas - a preliminary evaluation', Office of Technology Assessment, US Congress, April 1976. 3 "Information on management and use of the radio spectrum - a little understood resource', B - 1 5 9 8 9 5 , September 1974. 4 'Economics of Federal Telecommunications System used by military installations', B - 1 4 6 8 6 4 , August 1972. 5 'Summary of GAO study of radio navigation systems: meeting maritime needs', B - 1 8 0 7 1 5 , March 1974. s "Need to control federal warning system proliferation', B - 1 3 3 2 0 2 , April 1976. 7 'Final report President's task force on communications policy', Superintendent of Documents, US Government Printing Office, Washington, DC, 7 December 1968. a 'Interim report and recommended courses of action resulting from the hearings on telecommunications research and policy development', Subcommittee Print, prepared by the Staff of the Subcommittee on Communications of the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, US House of Representatives, 94th Congress, 1st Session, December 1.975. 9 Its responsibilities are specified in Executive Order 11556, 4 September 1970. -

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The organisations in the executive branch involved in policy making can be broken down into executive agencies and independent agencies. Included in the first category are White House staff offices such as the Office of Telecommunications Policy (OTP) and the executive departments such as State, Defense, Transportation, Commerce, etc, each of which has its own telecommunications responsibility. In the second category are included independent agencies such as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and National Science Foundation (NSF). Each of these departmental organisations has two main telecommunications responsibilities: telecommunications policy as it affects their own internal operations, and telecommunications policy as it affects their primary mission. Only the latter function is considered in this review. The present structure ih .he Executive Office of the President has resulted from numerous studies during the post-war period, culminating with the Rostow Committee Report. 7 There is still a great deal of uncertainty about the institutional arrangements for telecommunications policy making in the USA, and further changes and/or organisations may be imminent.8

Office of Telecommunications Policy The OTP (Figure 2) was created as an agency in the Executive Office of the President by Reorganisation Plan 1 of 1970, effective 20 April 1970. 9 It is the executive agency responsible for overall supervision of national communications matters. Its functions may be divided into four general areas:

@ It establishes the policies and programmes of the executive branch pertaining to communications matters and seeks to implement them through various means, including the proposal of legislation. This area of activity includes such matters as structure of the communications industry, communications goals to be sought in international negotiations, desirable regulatory policies for established broadcasting and common carrier services, and regulatory approaches to new technologies such as satellites, cable television, and interconnected computer systems. T E L E C O M M U N I C A T I O N S POLICY December 1976

Telecommunications policy and US government institutions

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It coordinates the planning and evaluates the operation of the communications activities of the executive branch. This includes the establishment of policies and the setting of standards for federal communications systems, and overall guidance of federal research and development efforts. It is responsible for the allocation and management of that portion of the radio spectrum (about 50%) used by the federal government. It develops mobilisation plans for the nation's communications resources, and is responsible for administering those resources in an emergency. This includes responsibility for exercise of the President's war powers in the communications field.

The Director of the OTP is appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate. He is the President's principal adviser and executive-branch spokesman on communications matters. The Deputy Director is second in command, similarly appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate. Those functions of the OTP which pertain to frequency management for federal users are under the immediate supervision of the Assistant Director, Frequency Management. Responsibility for other functions is divided among other Assistant Directors with respect to one or more fields of activity. Technical support is provided by the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Science and Technology, and is further delegated to the Office of Telecommunications. Advisory bodies assisting the Director in the performance of his functions are the Electromagnetic Radiation Management Advisory Council, composed of experts in radiation and health; the Frequency Management Advisory Council, composed of communications experts from the private sector; and the Interdepartment Radio Advisory Committee, composed of representatives of federal agencies which make use of the radio spectrum. The Director is also advised by the Council for Government Communications Policy and Planning, comprising representatives from federal agencies with significant communications responsibilities. The following are policy areas addressed in 1975 and 1976 by the OTPJ °

T E L E C O M M U N I C A T I O N S POLICY December 1976

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Telecommunications policy and US government institutions Domestic communications: A. Common carriers 1. Economies of scale 2. Installation charges 3. Separations procedures 4. Cost allocation and rate structures 5. Mobile communications 6. Information technology B. Cable television and broadband communications I. Cable communications of television services 2. Rural extension of television services 3. Subscription cable 4. Urban cable construction costs 5. Fibre optics C. Broadcasting 1. Public broadcasting 2. Fairness doctrine and radio regulations 3. VHF drop-ins 4. Additional services for television Government communications: A. Planning 1. National warning system 2. Radio navigation systems B. Procurement policy for government communications C. Computer communications and privacy issues D. Federal-state communications E. National security and emergency communications F. New services development 1. Communications satellite technology programme 2. Teleconferencing International communications: A. International facilities and prograrranes I. Industry study 2. COMSAT legislation study 3. International communications satellite for mobile communications a. Aeronautical satellite experiment b. Maritime satellite (INMARISAT and MARISAT) 4. North Atlantic facilities planning 5. Pacific Basin initiatives 6. International trade in telecommunications Spectrum management: A. Operational management B. Personnel resources C. Electromagnetic compatibility analysis D. Electromagnetic compatibility side-effects Department of Commerce There are three major organisations within the Department of Commerce interested in telecommunications policy development: the Office of Telecommunications (OT), National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and Maritime Administration (MARAD). The most important of these from a policy point of view is the OT. Office o f Telecommunications. The OT was established by the 56

T E L E C O M M U N I C A T I O N S POLICY December 1976

Telecommunications policy and US government institutions

Secretary of Commerce on 20 September 1970, and operates under Department Organisation Order 30-5A. l~ The Office provides analysis, engineering, and technical services to support the needs of the Director of the OTP, Executive Office of the President, in the performance of his responsibilities for management of the radio spectrum, and conducts economic and technical research to provide information and alternatives required by the Director. The Office also conducts research and analysis on radio propagation, radio systems characteristics, and operating techniques affecting the use of the radio spectrum, and in the general field of telecommunication sciences in support of other federal agencies and state and local governments. Assistance is provided in the assignment of federal telecommunications frequencies; observations and predictions are made of radio-system performance as it is affected by radio propagation and other technical factors. Technical assistance is provided for the Director, OTP, for developing the US position in preparation for international conferences, and research and analysis is undertaken to assist him in formulating executive-branch views on selected telecommunications matters. Surveys and investigations are made on the use of telecommunications technology. Advisory services in telecommunications technology are provided to agencies of state and local governments; and new approaches are sought to improve government telecommunications systems. In addition to its headquarters, the OT maintains the Institute for Telecommunication Sciences at Boulder, Colorado, and the Secretariat for the Interdepartment Radio Advisory Committee at Washington, DC. Policy issues addressed by the Policy Support Division of the OT include: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.

Domestic satellite policy Land mobile radio policy Universal 911 emergency number policy National emergency warning system Value-added networks Spectrum conservation Electromagnetic compatibility Biological effects Common carrier regulation CATV policy Internal telecommunications Impact of new technology on trade.

National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. The NOAA is a large user of telecommunications for services such as weather forecasting, storm warning, environmental monitoring, etc. Major policy issues in which it has been involved include national emergency warning systems via satellite, national navigational systems, and national planning of these networks.

1~ Annual Reports of the Office of Telecommunications, US Department of Commerce, 1973, 1974, 1975.

Maritime Administration. M A R A D is concerned with the economic health of the US shipbuilding and shipping industries. It concerns itself with methods of making the merchant fleet more competitive. Areas of policy concern have included maritime satellite and navigation systems.

T E L E C O M M U N I C A T I O N S POLICY December 1976

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Telecommunications policy and US government institutions

Department of Transportation DOT headquarters has an Office of Telecommunications.~2 This office reports to the Assistant Secretary for Systems Development and Technology and is responsible for management and leadership in matters relating to the development and many diverse uses of telecommunications as a supporting system for all modes of transportation. It appraises existing national and international telecommunications programmes and policies, and develops and recommends new and revised policies, programmes, legislation, treaties, and agreements to stimulate the establishment of a more effective and economical transportation-related telecommunications system and to advance telecommunications technology. The major operating units of the DOT are: I. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) 2. US Coast Guard 3. Federal Highway Administration 4. Federal Railroad Administration 5. Urban Mass Transportation Administration Major policy issues that have been of concern include: 1. Aeronautical satellite 2. Maritime satellite 3. Emergency medical service

Department of State Management, policy, and planning of the Department's telecommunications activities are handled by the Office of Telecommunications under the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Transportation and Telecommunications, which is in the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs. ~3 It is primarily concerned with the US interface with other countries in all international aspects of telecommunications. The Office represents the US interests in the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), prepares for international telecommunications conferences, and coordinates US interests in telecommunications matters before international organisations such as ICAO, IMCO, UNESCO, WMO, and the United Nations Outer Space Committee.

Department of Defense

12 United States Government Manual, 1976-1977, Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, DC. 13 i b i d .

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The Department of Defense (Figure 3) is one of the largest single users of telecommunications in the federal government. Its expenditures for research and development alone total close to one thousand million dollars. The Department is responsible for all DOD telecommunications policy and the coordination of all Defense telecommunications activities, including communications for command and control purposes (Figure 4). The Secretary of Defense also provides for the management of the National Communications System (NCS), which is primarily (80%) composed of the Defense Communications System (DCS). Responsibility is centred in two areas: the office of the Director of Telecommunications and Command the Control Systems (DTACCS) and the Defense Communications Agency (DCA) (Figure 5). DTACCS coordinates the needs of the DOD for T E L E C O M M U N I C A T I O N S POLICY December 1976

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14 However, all communications resources, including those designated DCS, are the property of the military departments, and all operating personnel, including those assigned to the operation of DCS facilities, are controlled by those departments.

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telecommunications, command and control so that 'service flexibility, security and invulnerability can be achieved'. He is assisted by five Assistant Directors: Worldwide Military Command and Control System (WWMCCS) Architect Management, who anticipates and provides for the future needs of all command and control telecommunications systems that are used jointly by all of the military services; Policy and Operations, who maintains and integrates the unified military systems, provides liaison with common carrier groups, assists in developing and expanding general purpose systems, and concentrates on more secure end-to-end communications (especially voice); Resource Management, who handles budgeting and bookkeeping; General Purpose Systems, concerned with the needs of AUTODIN, AUTOVON and AUTOSEVOCOM; and Special Purpose Systems, who oversees all other military systems and networks, strategic as well as tactical. DTACCS also provides staff supervision to the Joint Tactical Communications (TRI-TAC) Office, which is staffed by the three military departments. The Director of the DCA reports to the Secretary of Defense through the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He is delegated the authority to exercise management, control, and operational direction of the operating elements of the DCS. '4 According to the charter of the DCA, it must (a) ensure that the DCS is planned and operated so as to effectively, efficiently, and economically meet the long-distance, point-to-point telecommunications requirements of the DOD; (b) obtain the maximum economy and efficiency in the allocation and management of DOD communications resources; and (c) provide for systems engineering and technical support for the National Military Command System (NMCS) and of assigned related systems. In October 1973, the DCA was assigned new responsibilities as Systems Architect for all existing and planned DOD communications satellite systems. Although programme management and acquisition functions will continue to be military department responsibility, the Military Satellite Communications (MILSATCOM) office will develop plans and concepts and perform general systems engineering applicable to all DOD satellite communications programmes. T E L E C O M M U N I C A T I O N S POLICY December 1976

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Figure 5. The Defense Communications Agency.

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The organisation of the D C A divides responsibility into four areas: DCA Headquarters, DCA Defense Communications System, NMCS, and Joint Technical Support Activity (JTSA). The five deputy directors in headquarters are: Plans, Military Satellite Communications, Programs, Operations, and NMCS. In addition to these four areas, the DCA includes the Minimum Essential Emergency Communication Network (MEECN) Systems Office, established in 1971 to provide a crisis communications network for the President's use in case of nuclear attack.

Department of Justice The Department of Justice ~5 has many telecommunications functions that it maintains for its own internal operation, such as the FBI, but no formal telecommunications policy-making organisation. It has played a major role in telecommunications policy mainly through the Antitrust Division. Two main areas of interest have been ownership of broadcasting and news media, and an antitrust action against AT and T for anti-competitive practices.

Independent federal agencies Federal Communications Commission The FCC (Figure 6) was created by the Communications Act of 193416 to regulate interstate and foreign communications by wire and radio in the public interest. ~7 It was assigned additional regulatory jurisdiction under the provisions of the Communications Satellite Act of 1962. is The scope of the regulation includes radio and television broadcasting, telephone, telegraph and cable television operation, two-way radio and radio operators, and satellite communication. In administering the programmes necessary to carry out its regulatory responsibility, the Commission is assisted by a General Counsel, who in addition to his typical duties exercises exclusive control of Court Appeals involving broadcast matters, an Executive Director, a Chief Engineer, and the Chiefs of five bureaus, to whom has been delegated certain licensing and grant authority. To assist the Commission in exercising its responsibility in the adjudicatory process, there is a Review Board to review initial decisions and write decisions and an Office of Opinions and Review to assist the Commission and individual Commissioners in the disposition of matters arising in cases of adjudication (as defined in the Administrative Procedure Act) which have been designated for hearings. Also, there is a corps of Administrative Law Judges, qualified and appointed pursuant to the requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act, who conduct evidentiary adjudicatory hearings and write initial decisions.

lSUnited States 1 9 7 6 - 1 9 7 7 , op cit. 1648 Stat. 1064; 35, 151-609. 1~ United States 1 9 7 6 - 1 9 7 7 , op cit. le 76 Stat. 4 1 9 ; 47

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Broadcast activities. In its regulation of broadcasting, the Broadcast Bureau administers the programme for the following radio broadcast services: standard (AM), frequency modulation (FM), television (TV), studio transmitter link (STL), remote pickup, intercity, translator, booster, instructional and experimental television, including the issuing of authorisations for construction permits, licenses, modifications, renewals, assignments, and transfers of these services, and oversees compliance with the fairness doctrine, political broadcasting, and fair competition. T E L E C O M M U N I C A T I O N S POLICY December 1976

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Cable television activities. Cable television system operators must obtain a certificate of compliance from the Commission before commencing operation or adding television broadcast signals to existing operations. The Cable Television Bureau administers the programme for cable television and the cable television relay services, including the issuing of certificates of compliance and C A R authorisations, and maintaining regulatory relationships with state and local jurisdictions who also have responsibility and authority concerning cable television systems. Common carrier communications activities. In interstate and international common carrier communications by telephone, telegraph, radio, and satellite, the Common Carrier Bureau administers the programme of regulation. Common carriers include companies, organisations or individuals providing communications services to the public for hire, who must serve all who wish to use them at established rates. In the rendition of interstate and foreign communications services to the public, common carriers may employ landline wire or cable facilities, point-to-point microwave radio (signals relayed by stations spaced at given intervals), land mobile radio (two-way telephone or one-way signalling communications between base and mobile units), or satellite systems. Communications services between the USA and overseas points by common carriers are provided by means of ocean cable, high-frequency radio, and satellite communications. Other radio uses. The Commission regulates the use of radio for many purposes other than broadcast and common carrier communication. The Safety and Special Radio Services Bureau administers the programme of regulating the following radio services: aviation, marine, amateur, public fixed stations in Alaska, public safety (police, fire, etc), industrial (manufacturers, petroleum, etc), land transportation (railroad, taxicab, etc), and citizens (private shortdistance radiocommunications, signalling, control of objects, etc), and of implementing the compulsory provisions of laws and treaties covering the use of radio for the safety of life at sea. The Office of Chief Engineer administers the programme of regulating the experimental and low-power equipment and Land Mobile radio in the Chicago metropolitan area.

19 'FCC report and order - amendment of part of the Commission's rules to establish the Office of Plans and Policy', FCC 73-600, Federal Communications Commission, Washington, DC, 21 June 1973. 20 Remarks by Dale N. Hatfield, Chief, Office of Plans and Policy, FCC, before the Washington, DC, Chapter of the IEEE Vehicular Technology Group, 13 February 1976.

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Enforcement activities. Much of the investigative and enforcement work of the Commission is carried out by its field staff. The Field Engineering Bureau has 30 field offices and 19 monitoring stations, in addition to a mobile network. The field staff, in effect, are the Commission's 'eyes and ears' in detecting unlicensed operation and activities or non-conforming transmission and furnishing radio bearings on ships and planes in distress. Office of Plans and Policy. This is a relatively new office of the FCC which, although established in 1973} 9 only recently began longterm policy research. The following are policy issues planned for analysis by the Office of Plans and Policy: 2° T E L E C O M M U N I C A T I O N S POLICY December 1976

Telecommunications policy and US government institutions

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• • • • • • •

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Mobile radio 1. Mobile telephone 2. Paging 3. Citizens band Frequency allocation Computer communications interface Electronic mail Technological developments in local exchange and local distribution Electronic funds transfer Rural TV Common carrier regulatory economics 1. Depreciation policies 2. Alternatives to rate of return regulation 3. Models for evaluating the cost of capital International communications.

National Science Foundation The NSF programme of telecommunications policy research began in 1973 with the following general objectives: 21

•

• •

21Telecommunications Policy Research Program, National Science Foundation, NSF 75-36, Washington, DC.

It should support research on telecommunications policy issues in public-service applications of telecommunications technology; analysis of the social impacts of telecommunications technology; analysis of current issues in the regulation of the telecommunications industry. It should provide mid-term (2-10 years) research response to the information needs of policy makers concerned with telecommunications issues. It should seek to improve research methods appropriate to the above tasks.

The programme was undertaken because of a perception on the part of officials concerned with telecommunications issues that there was a need for increased research and analysis of these issues. Although it was recognised that decisions in this area almost always involve important questions of political values, there was a conviction, which remains, that objective analyses using the tools of social science could sharpen the choices to be made, illuminate their effects, and in general improve their quality. The strategy for accomplishing these goals has developed substantially over the past four years. Undoubtedly it will continue to develop as the programme progresses. An early element of the programme's strategy was the development of adequate research capability. It was generally considered that the nation's research institutions possessed adequate numbers of people with the required skills but were not, in most cases, organised to apply these skills to telecommunications policy issues. These issues are complex and interdisciplinary in nature, and their effective analysis requires organised groups, combining skills from a number of disciplines and committed to working continually in the telecommunications area. In the early part of the programme, therefore, substantial efforts were made to encourage the development of such groups. Following this early emphasis on research-capability development, a general strategy for performing research on specific issues emerged.

T E L E C O M M U N I C A T I O N S POLICY December 1976

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Telecommunications policy and US government institutions

This strategy is based on the assumption that concentrated efforts over two to five years can produce significant increases in knowledge on a particular topic or issue area (Table l). General Services Administration The General Services Administration (GSA) is the sole government procurer of telecommunications equipment and services. Since the government is the country's largest user of telecommunications, its procurement practices can have a major impact on the development and implementation of US telecommunications policy. 22 Automated Data and Telecommunications Service The Automated Data and Telecommunications Service (ADTS) administers the Government-wide Automated Data Processing (ADP) resources management programme; and operates the Federal Telecommunications System (FTS) and the Federal Data Processing Centers (FDPC).

22United States Government 1976-1977, op cit.

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Government-wide ADP resource management. The ADP resources of the federal government are administered by use of FDPC, ADP Sharing "Programs, and a government-wide ADP Procurement Program. To achieve full use of ADP equipment and related resources, and to provide ADP service more economically and efficiently, ADTS maintains an aggressive programme to consolidate ADP service requirements into the FDPC and the ADP Sharing

Table 1. Major areas of NSF policy research during the past few years Telecommunications planning grants 1. Implications of alternative public policies for cable I V development 2. Telecommunications policy, planning and research 3. N e w services via cable communication 4. Service delivery via cable communication 5. Telecommunications policy research 6. Telecommunications services: a policy reorientation 7. A study of television network regulations 8. Development of policy in the transportation-telecommunication tradeoff Telemedicine 1. Survey of research activities in the field of communications and health care organisation 2. Evaluation of the application of telecommunications to health care delivery in nursing homes 3. An evaluation of the impact of communications technology on health care delivery in penal institutions 4. A study of a rural health care system and interactive television Citizen feedback 1. MINERVA: A participatory technology system

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2. Test and evaluation of a civic communication system 3. A group feedback technique for community participation

Public service and cable television 1. A guide to municipalities for cable television franchising decisions 2. Film on cable television 3. Technical evaluation of urban cable experiments 4. Design study for urban telecommunications experiments: Allentown-Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 5. Design study for urban telecommunications experiments: Reading, Pennsylvania 6. Design study for urban telecommunications experiments: Rockford, Illinois 7. Design study for urban telecommunications experiments: Spartanburg, South Carolina 8. Design study for urban telecommunications experiments: Los Angeles, California 9. Design study for urban telecommunications experiments: El Segundo, California 10. Design study for urban telecommunications experiments: Peoria, Illinois 11. Test and evaluation of public service

uses of cable television: Reading, Pennsylvania 12. Test and evaluation of public service uses of cable television: Rockford, Illinois 13. Test and evaluation of public services uses of cable television: Spartanburg, South Carolina

Regulatory issue analysis 1. Concentration of ownership and control in mass communications 2. A Model for economic evaluation of new urban technology 3. Program diversity, station profitability and licensing procedures in the broadcast industry Development of teleconferencing systems 1. Problem assessment of video telephone 2. Teleconferencing systems: a state of the art survey and preliminary evaluation 3. Two-way television conferencing: assessment of MRC-FV 4. Investigation of human factors in teleconferencing systems Social impact of broadcasting: 1. Preliminary investigation of the special impact of television on blacks 2. The effects of television advertising on children: an evaluation of the literature

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POLICY December 1976

Telecommunications policy and US government institutions

Programs. In carrying out its mission as the single ADP purchaser for the Government, ADTS finds the best buys, obtains the best leasing and/or purchase price arrangements, improves procurement practices, makes use of excess ADP equipment to fill procurement requests, provides contractor performance commitments, and negotiates long-term procurement actions to avoid price increases. Telecommunications procurement and operations. ADTS operates

the FTS, a comprehensive system procured, operated, and maintained for all federal agencies. The FTS is composed of two basic elements, the Voice Network and the Data/Record Network, including the Advanced Record System (ARS), the Data Transmission Network, and the Federal Telecommunications Record Centers. The FTS Voice Network provides every federal employee with an easy and inexpensive telephone network. It includes local and intercity telephone service for use among federal agencies, with access to the general public. The ARS provides a data and record transmission system including teletype for federal civil departments and agencies. The Data Transmission Network provides a system to federal civil departments and agencies capable of transmitting magnetic tapes between various data-processing eentres via electrical means. ADTS also operates 70 federal Telecommunications Record Centers, located in federal office buildings throughout the USA including Hawaii and Puerto Rico. These communication centres provide for a variety of services such as teletype service on the ARS, TWX, Telex, Facsimile, punched-card transmission, and Western Union Public Message Service and Overseas Cablegram services for agencies which do not provide these services for themselves. In addition to its operational role, ADTS provides consultative services to federal agencies in evaluating their communication requirements and assists them in the development of engineering and procurement specifications.

Conclusion The policy-making and policy-research support activity is diffused throughout the three parts of the US government. Although the FCC has primary responsibility for telecommunications policy through the Communications Act of 1934, it is influenced by many forces, both political and technical, within the government. In addition, the major parties that are affected by or that can have an impact on telecommunications policy, including carriers, manufacturers, trade associations, public-interest groups, consumers etc, represent an important factor. For the present, the overall structure for long-term policy direction within the US government remains in a state of flux.

T E L E C O M M U N I C A T I O N S POLICY December 1976

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