Reply #100: We need to take our public airwaves back from them- this proves they are not serving the public [View All]

[darth marth]

I was trying to brainstorm about this on another thread, but people don't seem to think that this is a problem....

How do we take OUR PUBLIC AIRWAVES back from the corporate liars?
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x2361998

They must prove they serve the public or have their license revoked

It doesn’t have to be this way. America lets radio and TV broadcasters use public airwaves worth more than half a trillion dollars for free. In return, we require that broadcasters serve the public interest: devoting at least some airtime for worthy programs that inform voters, support local arts and culture and educate our children — in other words, that aspire to something beyond just minimizing costs and maximizing revenue.

Using the public airwaves is a privilege — a lucrative one — not a right, and I fear the F.C.C. has not done enough to stand up for the public interest. Our policies should reward broadcasters that honor their pledge to serve that interest and penalize those that don’t.

The F.C.C. already has powerful leverage to hold broadcasters to their end of the bargain. Every eight years, broadcasters must prove that they have served the public interest in order to get license renewal. If they can’t, the license goes to someone else who will.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/02/opinion/02copps.html?pagewanted=all