In order to have an aircraft radio license, there are certain qualifications that an individual must obtain. While getting a pilot's license falls under the jurisdiction of the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration), the aircraft radio license is administered by the FCC (Federal Communications Commission). The job of the FCC is to monitor all communications by radio, television, satellites, and cable--including domestic and international communication taking place within the borders of the United States. Any pilot who has to be able to communicate with a control tower usually has to have permission by the FCC to use an available radio frequency. There are a few different reasons why an organization like the FCC exists and requires an aircraft radio license. For one, anybody who wants to transmit a radio signal would have free reign and eventually interfere with other signals out there, making radio essentially useless as a communications medium. Second, when it comes to something as important as air traffic, if there were no monitoring of who used radio signals, this would pose a significant safety hazard. Both pilots and radio operators in traffic control towers need to have the permission to transmit on certain radio frequencies through an aircraft radio license for this reason.