The Radio Act of 1912 is a United States federal law that mandated that all radio stations in the US be licensed by the federal government, as well as mandating that seagoing vessels continuously monitor distress frequencies.

The act set a precedent for international and federal legislation of wireless

Wireless

Wireless telecommunications is the transfer of information between two or more points that are not physically connected. Distances can be short, such as a few meters for television remote control, or as far as thousands or even millions of kilometers for deep-space radio communications...

 communications. It was followed by the Radio Act of 1927.

Description

Part of the impetus for the act's passage was the sinking of the RMS Titanic. The Titanic had sent out a distress call over its wireless telegraph, which was received by a ship in the area. However, it was later learned that another ship was closer to the Titanic than the rescuing ship, but it did not receive the distress call because its sole wireless operator was not on duty. Thus, one aspect of the Act was to mandate that vessels had the continuing capability to receive messages on two wavelengths: 300 meters and 600 meters (500 kHz). This meant that vessels would need to have an operator on duty at all times.

Another factor was an ongoing conflict between amateur radio

Amateur radio

Amateur radio is the use of designated radio frequency spectrum for purposes of private recreation, non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, and emergency communication...

 operators and the U.S. Navy and private corporations, that included amateurs forging naval messages and issuing fake distress calls. The Wireless Ship Act of 1910

Wireless Ship Act of 1910

The Wireless Ship Act was passed by the United States Congress in 1910, requiring all ships of the United States traveling over two-hundred miles off the coast and carrying over fifty passengers to be equipped with wireless radio equipment with a range of one-hundred miles...

 was seen as too weak to address the problems. The United States Congress

United States Congress

The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....

 considered six different proposals for replacing it in the period between 1910 and 1912, eventually enacting the 1912 Act.

To combat the issue with amateur radio operators, the Act provided for a system of licensing

Broadcast license

A broadcast license or broadcast license is a specific type of spectrum license that grants the licensee the privilege to use a portion of the radio frequency spectrum in a given geographical area for broadcasting purposes. The licenses are generally straddled with additional restrictions that...

 all radio stations in the US, including amateur radio operators. Further, it prohibited those amateurs from transmitting over the main commercial and military wavelengths. Amateurs were limited to transmitting signals that were below a wavelength of 200 meters (1.5 MHz). Besides being limited by wavelength, amateurs were also limited to location and operating hours.

Other regulations

In addition to mandating shipboard wireless operators and station licenses, the Act also set requirements for reduced power levels near government stations, times when radio signals near those stations could be used, and codified the notion of using the least amount of power necessary to conduct the transmission.

Authority to close stations

In times of war or national peril, the President was authorized under Section 2 of the act to close down any or all radio stations in the US. In accordance with the Act, the government did just this during World War I.

Enforcement and penalties

Implementing and enforcing the Act was the responsibility of the United States Secretary of Commerce and Labor. The United States Department of Commerce and Labor was empowered to impose fines of not more than $500 and to revoke the licenses of those radio operators who violated the restrictions laid down by the Act. Furthermore, the government could seize the equipment of the offending station, as well as suspending the radio license of the operator for one year.

External links

• Text of 1912 Act, "An Act to regulate radio communication", approved August 13, 1912, Early Radio History.
• One-page historical document giving overview of passage of bill through congress
• Federal Radio Commission Archives