[BC] A Modest Proposal

[Rich Wood]

------ At 12:23 AM 10/6/2005, Robert Meuser wrote: -------

>This could be a case of being careful what you wish for. Sat radio 
>already has an emergency channel. Now add GPS to mate to FIPS codes 
>and you have highly LOCALIZED EAS; tornadoes down to a county' 
>etc.  Another killer app against radio.   Is anyone sure they want 
>such a thing mandated?  Maybe you want OEM car radios that interrupt 
>SAT radio when local radio activates EAS.

I'm sure you remember "What's good for General Motors is good for the 
country." Replace GM with Clear Channel and throw everything wide 
open. Level the playing field. Really level it. Let Satellite Radio 
go local, charge spectrum fees to everyone, remove all limits on 
ownership and let the cable companies and telcos run free. Require 
everyone to participate in EAS (or something that actually works) so 
that everyone will be safe and let the marketplace determine which 
service survives. Let all the Rupert Murdochs of the world own 
whatever they want even before they become citizens. Hell, drop the 
citizenship requirements, altogether. Allow anyone with enough money 
to launch satellite services, so long as all indecency regulations 
are followed. I can't imagine our current theocracy allowing 
indecency. That's one of the few reasons for the FCC. Regulate 
spectrum use like they were originally intended to do, prevent porn 
and dirty language (highest priority possible) and stay out of everything else.

Now beware, that also either allows X rated material on terrestrial 
radio or forbids it on everything. I'm sure that IBUZ is 
sophisticated enough to be addressable, so really filthy material can 
be limited to subscription. After all, it was carefully designed to 
save radio. That assumes the decision is to allow X rated material everywhere.

It's time for every corporation's long term planning folks to sit 
down and figure out how to operate in this new age of freedom. No one 
will be allowed to petition the FCC, Congress, the President or 
Supreme Court for any kind of protection unless actual civil or 
criminal laws are broken. Someone snips you guy wires you can take 
action. Otherwise, no. No lobbyists allowed, or needed, since it's a 
free for all. You don't have to beg or buy anyone for permission.

I'm sure this approach would please real Conservatives and 
Libertarians. What more could we ask for? Remember how quickly things 
developed after the Carterphone decision allowing non-telco equipment 
to be attached to phone lines. We already know that there's support 
for spectrum fees from the outrage in Congress over giving DTV free spectrum.

Question: Under these conditions what would companies do and who do 
you think will survive? Why? Good for consumers?

Rich