Historic plots of cumulative major consumer laws and regulations established since the turn of the century reveal three cycles. Each burst of activity measures about 10-20 years in duration. The first wave occurred during the Progressive Era (1887-1907), the second cycle was from 1929-38, and the third spanned the period 1951-74. Another burst of consumer activity is forecast for the period 1978-1998, peaking in 1993. This cyclical phenomenon can be observed in advertising regulation. For example, during each of these four cycles, a new communication technology was introduced and came to dominate information needs: the 'penny press' prior to the turn of the century, radio broadcasts during the early 1900's, television during the mid-1900's, and computers and electronic data processing during the late 1900's. In each case, excessive advertising practices in the news media introduced new abuses which led to Government-mandated standards when self-regulation failed to correct the problems. Public policies also arose out of abuses documented or feared in the electronic data processing industry (privacy protection laws) and abuses in the food and drug industries. Patterns which can help to plot the trend and direction of a public policy issue are outlined. Graphs are included.