Deck 9: Broadcasting and Cable

Question 1

The regulatory role of the Federal Communications Commission is limited to the operation of television and radio stations.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

The Federal Communications Commission regulates cable television to the same degree as broadcast television.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

The passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 was the first major revision of telecommunications law since the Communications Act of 1934.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Sections 312 and 315 of the Federal Communications Commission Code require holders of broadcasting licenses to serve the public interest in two specific ways. Which of the following is NOT one of those requirements?

A) providing reasonable access to political candidates and for the discussion of public issues
B) providing a minimum number of hours of religious programming each week
C) providing candidates equal time to present their campaign messages

Question 5

The case of FCC v. Pacifica Foundation is significant for which of the following reasons?

A) it led to the success of "Wheel of Fortune" and other television game shows
B) it clarified the difference between "indecency" and "obscenity" and established a "safe harbor" time for indecency on the radio
C) it required Congress to "to go back to the drawing board" and draft new laws to deal with children's television
D) it established the principle that journalists do not have to reveal their sources of information
E) all of the above

Question 6

The case of Red Lion Broadcasting v. FCC is significant for which of the following reasons?

A) it led to the success of television reality shows
B) it upheld the FCC's authority to regulate broadcasting and clarified that broadcast regulation did not violate the First Amendment
C) it stripped the FCC of the authority necessary to enforce "truth in advertising" laws
D) it clarified the difference between "indecency" and "obscenity" and established a "safe harbor" time for indecency on the radio
E) all of the above

Question 7

Of the major provisions of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which of the following is no longer in effect (because of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling)?

A) deregulation of long-distance telephone services to increase competition
B) deregulation of cable television and lifting of price restrictions
C) rule changes regarding TV and radio station ownership
D) rules requiring newly manufactured television sets to include the V-chip
E) Communication Decency Act, regulating sexual content on the Internet

Question 8

The Radio Act of 1927 had four major provisions. Which of the following WAS NOT one of those four?

A) it created the Federal Radio Commission
B) it required broadcasters to act in "the public interest"
C) it established guidelines for dealing with sexual content
D) it established a formal licensing procedure
E) it gave radio limited First Amendment protection

Question 9

The cases of KFKB v. FRC and Trinity Methodist Church v. FRC resulted in what legal principle that is still in effect today?

A) if radio advertising is aimed at children, the government can regulate it to a greater extent than advertising aimed at adults
B) advertising aimed at children cannot be regulated differently than advertising aimed at adults
C) government agencies cannot deny a broadcast license to an applicant because doing so would be an unconstitutional form of "prior restraint."
D) government agencies can refuse to renew the license of a broadcaster that does not operate in the public interest (without violating the First Amendment)
E) satellite radio cannot be regulated differently than AM and FM radio

Question 10

The FCC's "safe harbor" rule refers to which of the following?

A) the area of a marina considered as safe to store your boat or yacht
B) the portion of the broadcast day to which indecent material is limited
C) the portion of the broadcast day to which advertising aimed at children is limited
D) the portion of the broadcast day to which daytime dramas or "soap operas" are limited
E) the portion of the broadcast day to which sports programming is limited

Question 11

Legal scholars have established three rationale for regulating broadcast media to a greater degree than print media. Which of the following is NOT one of those rationale?

A) public ownership of the airwaves
B) a principle of media regulation borrowed from English common law that states that print media are deserving of more freedoms and less regulation
C) scarcity, or the limited number of frequencies that broadcasters can use
D) pervasiveness, or the potential of broadcasting to be obtrusive

Question 12

The Radio Act of 1912, one of the first governmental attempts to regular wireless communication, was enacted in part in reaction to what historical event?

A) the election of President Grover Cleveland, known to be a critic of wireless communication
B) the growth in popularity of cellular telephones
C) the sinking of the Titanic
D) celebrations of the 100-year anniversary of the end of the War of 1812