Though the government only regulates religious broadcasting directly by issuing licenses for stations owned by religious groups or operated for religious purposes, it indirectly affects a large number of religious programers who do not own stations. Also, the courts and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) have seldom dealt with cases as basically religious issues but have viewed them as involving other basic issues in broadcasting. The first historical basis of regulation of religious broadcasting was in regard to the rights of religious groups to use the air waves to propagate their beliefs. Generally regulations have required that religious broadcasters adhere to frequency regulations and not attack individuals unfairly. The FCC has refused to force individual stations to broadcast specific religious programs. A second basis of regulation has been the fairness doctrine, which has generally been applied to religious broadcasters in the same way it has been applied to other broadcasters. The third basis for regulation has been institutional issues including employment rules and finances. In the future, religious programers can expect the government to continue to examine their fund-raising activities, employment practices, and adherence to the fairness doctrine. (TJ)