The role of scientists and engineers in government decision-making poses a number of problems within a democracy. How does a regulator balance the technical expertise that a scientist brings while at the same time emphasize broad-based democratic participation which takes into account the controversial socio-political aspects of technical decision making? Dr. Slotten is exploring the areas of conflict as well as agreement and support in the intersection of technology, science, and the demands of a democratic society through an analysis of the Federal Radio Commission (FRC), organized in 1927, and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), established in 1934. The FCC was created to extend the work of the FRC to regulate television and other communication technologies as well as radio. Dr. Slotten is focusing on the intersection of technical issues and the social, political, economic, legal, and cultural components of regulation by the federal government of the four most important broadcast technologies developed during the 20th century: AM and FM radio, monochrome and color TV. He is analyzing the public policy debate during the period when the public implications of each new technology first became important, examining specifically the role of the different participants and the significance of key policy decisions for the early commercial development of the technologies. This period was crucial for the establishment of the American system of broadcasting and the related culture of mass communications. By analyzing the complex interplay of different factors that went into the formation of public policy for radio and television, we not only gain a deeper understanding of the institutional and social framework in which policy decisions were made, but we also gain a better appreciation of the tensions and conflicts that continue to frame science and technology debates. This study is particularly timely given the current interest in revising the Communications Act of 1934 and in formula ting policies for the construction of a "national information infrastructure."
