[BC] FCC to sell TV stations licenses

[a9xw at cs.com]

FCC to promote sales of Broadcast frequencies.

Lets be right up front. The FCC proposal to allow broadcasters to sell their licenses and go dark in exchange for some money from the spectrum auction has nothing to do with providing the public anything and has everything to do with simply raising more money for Congress to spend.

I can imagine some money poor stations opting to go out of business vs selling their license, or working to get a better cash flow or profit. A myopic approach in any economy. Where do you invest the money you get? Wireless internet companies, government bonds, a savings CD at .5% interest? Is it going to help the local economy if there is one or all local broadcast stations fold their tents and go away? Will cable and satellite take that as the ultimate surrender and jack up the prices faster than they already have? The quick downturn in cable and satellite subscriptions clearly shows that over the air TV is still the economic choice of the viewing public, and only when they have discretionary spending does the public then opt for pay to view services. Wasn't there a report shortly after analog TV went away about the huge surge in home TV antenna sales? Perhaps my mind is a bit snowy.

And what priceless but highly priced services are going to be provided to the public on those vacated airwaves? More room for millions of tweets of mindless rubish, facebook posts and millions of unread blogs? Isn't that a dumbing down of the public vs at least room temperature IQ TV fare to watch while doing something else, perhaps eating a TV dinner, which otherwise occupies the fingers vs uninspired drool of no consequence being endlessly tapped out on hand held devices, sapping time and life from owners that could be actually trying to achieve something in life besides sore thumbs?  Well it certainly worked wonders for Qualcomm's MediaFLO TV, that is said to be going out of business Jan 1 2011 for lack of viewers. How much did they spend for their slice of channels 52-69?  What will go in that national spectrum slice, more wireless door knobs?

What possible content could be so important to provide via a wireless telco, dare I say, some TV program stored on the massive PBS server, that otherwise could just as easily and better contextually provided by a local TV station, complete with local material interstitial of at least economic importance to the local advertisers and their employees that depend on the revenue generated to pay their mortgages, cars and cable TV bills?  

This is nothing more than the endless greed of government. Once permitted soon to become all consuming until the gold of the consumer public has been completely confiscated by a few, taxed and spent before it is earned. Soon we may all be owned by the company store if this is not stopped.

Henry Ruhwiedel