Why the FCC should die

[LosT]

Perspectives...

While I agree that the FCC was ultimately responsible for making such a complete hash of the LPFM licensing that it may as well have never happened, you can thank our fine friends at NPR for prompting them to put as many hurdles as possible in the path of LPFM stations applying for licenses, particularly in large markets like Los Angeles and New York.
*snip*

Yes, I totally agree. I hadn't considered the reasons behind the results, probably because I was too pissed off at the mess that the entire situation was turning into. I remember seeing lawfirms advertise that they could help you with your LPFM application/paperwork....HELL, you know it is going awry when you have to hire a lawyer for help with initial application (if you want a chance in hell of getting it to go through)-

LosT

[skroo]

Yeah, and then there was the LPFM that *seemed* like a way to FINALLY help the little guys...then they screwed that all to hell as well...

While I agree that the FCC was ultimately responsible for making such a complete hash of the LPFM licensing that it may as well have never happened, you can thank our fine friends at NPR for prompting them to put as many hurdles as possible in the path of LPFM stations applying for licenses, particularly in large markets like Los Angeles and New York.

NPR saw LPFM as a threat to their own stations - remember that LPFM was intended to provide a lower-power version of what NPR was *supposed* to be providing, namely, programming of local interest and in the same 87.9-91.9MHz public-service band as NPR is required to broadcast in. NPR saw this as a threat to their market share (particularly in the large urban markets), and requested all sorts of conditions be placed on LPFM licensing in order to make it as difficult as possible to actually get one.

End result: no major market that I know of in the US currently has a legitimately-licensed LPFM station broadcasting. There are LPFM stations out there, yes, but not where the majority of the population can actually receive them.

Thanks, NPR. Your programming's largely sterile, homogenised crap designed to appeal to the 'look at how smart I am for listening to NPR' set - sort of the Starbucks of public radio.

[LosT]

LPFM got screwed as well

Yeah, and then there was the LPFM that *seemed* like a way to FINALLY help the little guys...then they screwed that all to hell as well...

LosT

[kree]

i hate the clear channel stations that blatantly have dirty signals so they bleed onto small local independents who can't do anything about it.

I second that, my biggest complaint about radio. I will also add that I feel the FCC should be there to regulate power, distribution, ect.. not what type of programing goes over the air.

[jesse]

i hate the clear channel stations that blatantly have dirty signals so they bleed onto small local independents who can't do anything about it.

I wish the FCC controlled even more, I hate the Tijuana radio sttaions at 100,000 watts of power that overpower the US stations playing nicely.

But where else are you going to get Juan Diego and his porno girls at 2 in the afternoon.

[astcell]

I wish the FCC controlled even more, I hate the Tijuana radio sttaions at 100,000 watts of power that overpower the US stations playing nicely.

[phobal]

someone has to guard what skroo mentioned. but they are a bunch of wanks to say the least. however, their job is to guard the interest of the majority. majority being fucking idiots whom are not informed. these fucking idiots being myopic wanks who care more about a nipple than actual, real, important issues in this world. people are stupid. i'm so drunk.

[skroo]

Nice editorial:

http://news.com.com/2010-1028-5226979.html

Read and discuss! (or don't read and ignore at your discression)

OK, I read it. Declan McCullagh's still a jackass.

While there are some points I somewhat agree with in there, one thing that the author failed to mention is that the FCC provides one very valuable service: band plan allocations.

Think of it this way: if there were no FCC, there would be no agreed bands anywhere in the radio spectrum for things like AM and FM radio, TV, wireless networking, two-way radios, and long-haul microwave links.

You'd end up with a situation where there were nine thousand entirely incompatible systems running at different frequencies and power outputs. Nothing would be able to talk to anything else (unless both the sender and receiver were using the same manufacturer's gear), and the costs of using the radio spectrum would be much higher as a result.

Unfortunately, the writer makes the very short-sighted suggestion that "it's time to abolish the Federal Communications Commission", though even he himself states that "the original justification for existence of the FCC was to rein in an unruly marketplace." In fact, his statement that "abolishing the FCC does not mean airwave anarchy" is only true insofar as the alternative he proposes is selling off chunks of the radio spectrum to private entities - a move which, in this case, will lead to less competition since ClearChannel isn't going to want Infinity-owned stations in its spectrum and so forth.

Consider the following: "If just one UHF (ultrahigh frequency) television station in Los Angeles were permitted to transfer its spectrum to a third cellular provider... The overall public gain would be about $1 billion, or so the government itself estimated in 1992."

Great, now either a) the cellular company gets involved in broadcast TV, or b) develops a new phone standard designed to use that spectrum which is incompatible with existing standards and networks. Congratulations, all that's really happened is that the marketplace is fragmenting and we're getting back to the situation as it was in 1927 when the FCC was created to *solve* these problems.

And don't even get me started on the one-sided view of monopolist practices he takes in that piece. See: ClearChannel, Infinity Broadcasting, etc., who currently hold de facto monopolies on the broadcast markets as it stands.

We have problems now, yes, but they can be fixed. Yes, they're a lumbering dinosaur. Yes, I dislike their allowing of more stations in a single market to be owned by single entity. Yes, their fucking-over of the public on LPFM has pretty much destroyed independent radio in every US city with a population larger than 250,000 (though NPR can also be partly-blamed for that one). And the regulation of telephone and cable TV services has been a fucking circus.

However, the corollary is that freedom cannot exist without law and order. Without some sort of map to say how the spectra can be used, things will only get worse. I say trim the fat and take them back to basics, but don't take them out back and shoot them. They ultimately play too valuable a role, but are overstepping the line where their authority should end.

[bascule]

Nice editorial:

http://news.com.com/2010-1028-5226979.html

Read and discuss! (or don't read and ignore at your discression)