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Linguistic Diversity On The Airwaves: Spanish-Language Broadcasting And The Fcc, Bill Piatt

Faculty Articles

Hispanics constitute an increasingly substantial segment of the United States population. The Spanish language is an important part of the Hispanic culture, and is spoken in a large number of American homes. However, while the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the courts have required broadcasters to present programming to meet the needs of various minority groups, including the Hispanic community, there are no clear guidelines as to when this community has a right to programming in Spanish. Conversely, broadcasters have no guidelines for determining their obligation, if any, to present Spanish programming arises.

To resolve this issue, it is helpful …