By 1984, direct broadcast satellites (DSB) may be used to bypass the nation's local television stations and transmit television programs directly to viewers' homes. Using current technology, DSB could make available forty or more new channels for nationwide television viewing. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has authorized DBS service to begin operating on an experimental basic. It has not decided, however, whether the present television broadcast regulatory structure which governs access to the airwaves and programming content should be applied to DSB following the experimental period.