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A history of the federal jurisdiction of wireless and broadcasting in Puerto Rico, 1898-1952: A case study in dependency
Abstract
Through a historical narrative that considers the asymmetric relationship between the United States (U.S.) and Puerto Rico (P.R.), based on a dependency conceptual framework, major external (U.S.) and internal (P.R.) factors were analyzed to provide an interpretation that explains the federal jurisdiction of wireless and broadcasting in P.R. The different governmental structures approved by the U.S. Congress for the purpose of local government in the island of P.R.--the Foraker Act of 1900, the Jones Act of 1917, the Puerto Rico Federal Relations Act of 1950, and the Commonwealth status of 1952--as well as the activities of Puerto Rican groups were examined to determine how they challenged and/or supported the federal jurisdiction of wireless and broadcasting in the island. Federal regulations approved by the U.S. Congress to regulate wireless and broadcasting in the U.S.--the Wireless Ship Act of 1910, the Radio Act of 1912, the Radio Act of 1927, and the Communications Act of 1934--were examined to determine their impact in P.R. The activities of governmental and non-governmental U.S. groups, related to the wireless and broadcasting field, affecting Congressional actions and/or their direct actions in the island also entered the analysis. Based on Congressional documents, archival information, interviews, and other sources, the narrative developed in this dissertation describes a process whereby external factors were fundamental in determining the federal jurisdiction of wireless and broadcasting in P.R. To a large extent, the narrative details a colonial process whereby the U.S. government attempted, with relative success, to Americanize the island. The extension of federal jurisdiction to the island was imposed. As a consequence of the regulatory structure in the P.R. the "market model" prevailed in framing broadcasting in the island and commercial imperatives became the basis over which broadcasting would operate. The internal factors that played a role in the development of wireless and broadcasting regulation in P.R. were characterized by consent to U.S. hegemony, conceptual underdevelopment and timid initiatives circumscribed by Congressional limits.
Subject Area
Mass media|Latin American history|American history
Recommended Citation
Vivoni-Remus, Carlos Alfredo, "A history of the federal jurisdiction of wireless and broadcasting in Puerto Rico, 1898-1952: A case study in dependency" (1991). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI9207466.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI9207466