Communications Technical Amendments Act of 1981

Summary

Communications Technical Amendments Act of 1981 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to change the limitations on the types of companies in which employees and Commissioners of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) may have a financial interest. Prohibits Commissioners and FCC employees from holding financial interests in companies that have a significant interest in communications, manufacturing, or sales activities that are regulated by the FCC. Authorizes the FCC to waive the prohibitions for FCC employees. Sets the salary rates for FCC Commissioners. Permits the FCC to locate its principal office within two miles of the District of Columbia. Allows each Commissioner three professional assistants. Authorizes the FCC to accept direct reimbursement from a sponsor of a conference for the expenses incurred by FCC employees attending the conference if the sponsor requested their attendance and their attendance furthered the functions of the FCC. Authorizes the FCC to accept the voluntary services of persons holding amateur station operator licenses to prepare and administer examinations for an amateur station operator license. Authorizes the FCC to recruit, train, and accept the voluntary services of such licensees to monitor violations of the Communications Act. Limits the functions of such monitors. Prohibits persons employed by or owning significant interests in certain businesses related to amateur radio broadcasting from serving as voluntary examiners or monitors. Permits the FCC to reorganize its bureaus and offices. Requires only two (currently three) employees on employee boards formed to conduct adjudicatory reviews. Grants the FCC jurisdiction over all intrastate radio communications. Authorizes the FCC to enter into contracts with privately operated testing laboratories for conducting tests to determine whether a device capable of emitting radio frequency energy complies with the FCC regulations governing the interference potential of such devices. Authorizes such laboratories to certify that the devices comply with FCC regulations. Prohibits the FCC from contracting with a testing laboratory if the owner or a person with a financial interest in the laboratory has a financial interest in the device or manufactures a competitive device. Authorizes the FCC to issue radio station operators licenses to qualified persons who are legally eligible for employment in the United States (currently aliens may not obtain such licenses). Authorizes the FCC to suspend the licenses of operators who cause, aid, or abet violations of the Communications Act. Authorizes the FCC to recognize radio station licenses and radio operator licenses issued by foreign governments with respect to aircraft registered in the United States. Authorizes the FCC to intercept radio communications in order to enforce the Communications Act and to: (1) intercept radio communications upon the request of a Federal agency in an emergency which endangers human life; (2) intercept radio communications for a Federal law enforcement agency if certain requirements are met; (3) disclose the information obtained by the radio interception to the Federal agency; and (4) enter into contracts for reimbursement for such services. Authorizes the FCC to order the temporary cessation of a regulated radio frequency transmission if the transmission causes electromagnetic interference with radio communications or electronic equipment and if life is endangered. Increases the terms of licenses and license renewals for non-broadcast stations from five to ten years. Makes the term of any license for the operation of an auxiliary broadcast station or equipment concurrent with the term of the license of the primary station. Permits the FCC to authorize the operation of radio stations without individual licenses in the radio control service and the citizen band radio service. Authorizes the FCC to limit the grounds for a petition to deny an application for authorization of a non-broadcast station. Requires the FCC to hear allegations of violations of Federal antitrust laws in such a petition if there is no other means for making such allegations. Authorizes the FCC to grant temporary (currently emergency) radio operation authorization for renewable periods of up to 180 (currently 90) days. Permits FCC approval of an agreement in which an applicant for a broadcast station construction permit agrees with other applicants to withdraw, only if the FCC determines that the agreement serves the public interest and no party to the agreement applied for the permit in order to reach such an agreement. Makes the provisions relating to broadcast station license applications comply with the construction permit provisions. Defines the terms "willful" and "repeated" for purposes of determining administrative sanctions. Prohibits requiring construction permits for public coast stations, privately owned fixed microwave stations, or stations licensed to common carriers, unless public necessity requires them. Prohibits waiving the construction permit requirement for other stations, unless the public interest would be served. Deletes the provision requiring an FCC permit in order to export programming for rebroadcasting to the United States. Authorizes the FCC to use assistance furnished by private sector coordinating committees in coordinating the assignment of frequencies to stations in the private land mobile and fixed services. Requires the appellant in an appeal of an FCC order to notify the other persons interested in the appeal (currently the FCC must make such notifications). Changes the filing deadlines for certain petitions for review and the effective date of certain FCC orders. Makes cable television system operators subject to a forfeiture penalty for violations of the Communications Act. Authorizes the Federal seizure of radio devices operated without a license and of radio equipment illegally operated. Sets forth the procedures to be followed in such seizures. Exempts from the prohibition against unauthorized publication of radio communications those amateur radio band communications monitored by volunteers for enforcement actions by the FCC. Amends the Criminal Code to extend to FCC employees the statutory protection against assaults and death that exists for Federal employees.

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Documents

2 official files

• Reported to House with amendment(s)

  summary · EN · 17 August 1982

  Open at official source

• Introduced in House

  summary · EN · 17 November 1981

  Open at official source

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