Abstract

This paper traces the roles the Executive Office and the Federal Communication Commission have had in determining the usage of the spectrum by the government and private enterprise. It also follows the historical development of the recommendations of the presidents in office from 1934 to the establishment of the Office of Telecommunications Policy within the Executive Branch and the ideas about the ways this Office was to serve in an advisory capacity on communication issues affecting this country. By tracing the background of the relationship between the Executive Office and the Federal Communication Commission, the following questions will be answered for the reader: (1) what historically has been the role of the Executive Branch of government and the administrative agency governing telecommunications in this country and how have they changed to accommodate technology, and (2) what did the reaction of OTP do to change the role of the two agencies so far as immediate and long-range planning of communication technology was concerned?