[BC] Spectrum "looting in progress" update

[Cowboy]

 Been biting my tung on this, 'cause I think I've said before that this
 whole idea of selling off spectrum was a really BAD idea !

On Wednesday 04 January 2006 02:16 am, Kirk Harnack wrote:
>Bill Sepmeier wrote:
>> Speakout: Let analog sell-off benefit public
>> 
>> By Willard D. "Wick" Rowland Jr.
>> January 1, 2006
>...
>> The airwaves are public property, yet they are being increasingly 
>> privatized and, in the process, the proceeds are being largely wasted.

 I agree with the above statement, almost.
 The proceeds ARE being wasted, but that's about as far as it goes. 

>and the Libertarian in me would counter with:
>
>There is no greater threat to free speech than the government deciding 
>what you get to see and hear. 

 /snip/
 And, for that reason alone, I do not agree with the premise that the funds
 should have been used to finance "public" broadcasting.

>The proper role of the FCC should be to protect the  
>frequencies of the licensed stations and keep them from being infringed 
>upon.  Nothing else.

 Methinks we are in complete agreement here.

 My basic disagreement, is neither with whether the ether is public property,
 nor with the usage of it.
 I strongly disagree with John McCain and his ilk that temporarily "balancing"
 the federal budget by means of permanent sale of the ether is a good idea.

 I'm not so sure that I agree with selling off this asset at all !

 It used to be that a channel was licensed, a licensee was permitted to use
 a channel owned by the public, provided he met certain conditions, to which
 that licensee agreed by accepting a license.

 Now, it appears that a "licensee" is much more as Kirk says, an owner of
 that channel, bought and paid for. As such, it has become private property,
 and the owner free to do with it whatever he likes !
 This scares me in many ways.

 Should a "licensee" owner decide to broadcast 24/7 of the raunchiest porn
 available, what's to stop him ? He OWNS the channel !

 Oh, I forget.....
 Sandra Day O'Conner cast a deciding vote that private property means nothing,
 and government can excercize eminent domain and confiscate any private
 property at all, thus nullifying any concept of private property which certainly
 made this country a large part of the success that it is, also in the interest of
 short-term tax gain, and nothing more.

 WHERE is my medication.........

-- 
Cowboy

http://cowboys.homeip.net

Old soldiers never die.  Young ones do.