A bill to amend the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, to permit the Federal Communications Commission to grant radio station licenses in the safety and special and experimental radio services directly to aliens, representatives of aliens, foreign corporations, or domestic corporations with alien officers, directors, or stockholders; and to permit aliens holding such radio station licenses to be licensed as operators.
Public Law 93-505 · S. 2457 · 93rd Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Gerald Ford (R) on Nov 30, 1974 · Science, Technology, Communications
Sponsor: Sen. Warren Magnuson (D-WA)
Cosponsors (1): Sen. Norris Cotton
Passage votes
- HouseMethod not stated
- SenateMethod not stated
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Permits the Federal Communications Commission to grant radio station licenses in the safety and special and experimental radio services directly to aliens, representatives of aliens, foreign corporations, or domestic corporations with alien officers, directors, or stockholders. Permits aliens holding such radio station licenses to be licensed as operators.
Provides that the station license required under this Act shall not be granted to or held by any foreign government or the representative thereof.
Provides that no broadcast or common carrier or aeronautical en route or aeronautical fixed radio station license shall be granted to or held by: (1) any alien or the representative of any alien; (2) any corporation organized under the laws of any foreign government; (3) any corporation of which any officer or director is an alien or of which more than one-fifth of the capital stock is owned of record or voted by aliens or their representatives or by a foreign government or representative thereof or by any corporation organized under the laws of a foreign country; or (4) any corporation directly or indirectly controlled by any other corporation of which any officer or more than one-fourth of the directors are aliens, or of which more than one-fourth of the capital stock is owned of record or voted by aliens, their representatives, or by a foreign government or representative thereof, or by any corporation organized under the laws of a foreign country, if the Commission finds that the public interest will be served by the refusal or revocation of such license.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 10 actions.
- Nov 30, 1974Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- PresidentPresident · Public law 93-505.
- Nov 20, 1974PresidentPresident · Measure presented to President.
- Nov 19, 1974FloorFloor · Measure passed House.
- Oct 3, 1974CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Energy and Commerce Committee
- May 6, 1974CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Energy and Commerce Committee
- May 2, 1974FloorFloor · Measure passed Senate, amended.
- Apr 30, 1974CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
- Sep 20, 1973CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the Senate
Data notes
Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.