The existence of lively broadcasting stations in other countries on the North American continent comes as no surprise to those millions of citizens of the United States who live in our northernmost and southernmost states. The economic, regulatory and legal bases for these stations may, however, be unfamiliar to both the listeners to these stations in the U.S. and to the managements of American stations that compete with them. There is no need to discuss here the ramifications of NARBA (the North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement) or whether there is any real difference between stations in Windsor (Ont.) and Detroit (Mich.), and between stations in San Diego (Calif.) and Tijuana (Baja Calif.). What is important is that the broadcasting industries in the United States, Canada, and Mexico are three complex amalgams born of different political systems interacting with similar economic systems and the influence of their neighbors. When one enters a neighboring country, it is the little things that seem strange. The shape of the fire brigade helmets in a Mexican border town; the inscriptions cast into a Canadian mailbox; the strange brandnames or designs of staple merchandise. The larger and more important differences of cultural history, legal system, and manner of living are rarely apparent until one has had lengthy exposure to them, and until one leaves the tourist routes. In a similar manner, the organization and rationale of a nation's broadcasting services cannot be determined just by listening to or viewing them. In the following article, Walter Emery compares Mexican broadcasting law with the United States Communications Act of 1934. He is eminently qualified to perform this task. Dr. Emery (Professor in the Department of Television and Radio at Michigan State University) was a member of the Federal Communications Commission legal staff for several years, is a practicing communications lawyer, and is the author of Broadcasting and Government (East Lansing, Michigan State University Press, 1961). In 1962 and 1963, Professor Emery spent a considerable amount of time in Mexico researching this article under a grant from the Michigan State University International Program Committee.