Model
Digital Document
Publisher
Florida Atlantic University
Description
The purpose of this research is to investigate the concepts
of representation and the public interest. The specific
focus is on the Chairmen of the Federal Communications Commission
from 1934 to the present.
The basic proposition states that when the Chairman was
favorable to the broadcast industry, he would espouse a Self-
Regulatory philosophy in which government regulation of the industry
was at a minimum. Two types of data were used: socioeconomic
data and the Chairmen's statements concerning the
public interest.
The Chairmen ' s perceptions of the public interest were
categorized in terms of their philosophical orientations and
the extent of government control they deemed necessary to implement
their philosophies . The two types of data were studied
in order to obtain a profile of the Chairmen and to examine
their perceptions of the public interest as they related to
their socio- economic data.
The study concluded that the Chairmen's legal training
(82 per cent are lawyers) accounted for an attitude of medition and conciliation which carried over into the way they
represented the public interest. While most Chairmen espouse
a Self-Regulatory philosophy, the more recent Chairmen perceive
the need for a stronger government with positive rule-making
powers to regulate industry.
of representation and the public interest. The specific
focus is on the Chairmen of the Federal Communications Commission
from 1934 to the present.
The basic proposition states that when the Chairman was
favorable to the broadcast industry, he would espouse a Self-
Regulatory philosophy in which government regulation of the industry
was at a minimum. Two types of data were used: socioeconomic
data and the Chairmen's statements concerning the
public interest.
The Chairmen ' s perceptions of the public interest were
categorized in terms of their philosophical orientations and
the extent of government control they deemed necessary to implement
their philosophies . The two types of data were studied
in order to obtain a profile of the Chairmen and to examine
their perceptions of the public interest as they related to
their socio- economic data.
The study concluded that the Chairmen's legal training
(82 per cent are lawyers) accounted for an attitude of medition and conciliation which carried over into the way they
represented the public interest. While most Chairmen espouse
a Self-Regulatory philosophy, the more recent Chairmen perceive
the need for a stronger government with positive rule-making
powers to regulate industry.
Member of