Radio Service Bulletin  / FRC Annual Reports

Radio Service Bulletins were issued monthly by the Bureau of Navigation (and later the Radio Division), Department of Commerce from January 1915 into the 1930's to keep mariners, aviators, radio listeners, and others abreast of developments in the new medium of radio. Radio was used for radiotelegraphy, ship-to-shore and ship-to-ship communications, and increasingly as the 1920's and 1930's advanced, broadcasting. The bulletins reproduced here offer a snapshot of the state of the radio art during these years. Bulletin issues before 1921 are primarily concerned with radiotelegraphy communications between ships although there are some references to land stations too. After 1921, there are an increasing number of references to early pioneer broadcast stations.

For an article by Thomas White on the early days of the AM band click here

The Department of Commerce was the responsible agency for the licensing radio stations from the dawn of electromagnetic communication until the charter of the FCC in 1934. The "temporary" Federal Radio Commission was created in 1927 to reorganize the use of the radio band  after which the DoC continued in charge.