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Re: HOWARD STERN, The FCC, and INDECENCY ???
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If the public airwaves are really public, why do private companies run them? [/ QUOTE ] Funny you should mention it. About an hour ago I was reading my econ textbook in class on just this subject. The book talks about the airwaves being a common resource and that to solve the "problem of the commons" (which means "the absence of incentive to prevent the overuse and depletion of a commonly owned resource"), government can auction off particular frequencies to the highest bidders (ABC, CBS, etc). So I guess to answer your question of what role does the FCC play one could argue that they are the oversight on the companies the gov't has given permission to use the public airwaves. |
#2
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Re: HOWARD STERN, The FCC, and INDECENCY ???
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ] If the public airwaves are really public, why do private companies run them? [/ QUOTE ] Funny you should mention it. About an hour ago I was reading my econ textbook in class on just this subject. The book talks about the airwaves being a common resource and that to solve the "problem of the commons" (which means "the absence of incentive to prevent the overuse and depletion of a commonly owned resource"), government can auction off particular frequencies to the highest bidders (ABC, CBS, etc). So I guess to answer your question of what role does the FCC play one could argue that they are the oversight on the companies the gov't has given permission to use the public airwaves. [/ QUOTE ] Not to sound like PVN, but why are airwaves considered a common resource, or, for that matter, owned by the government? Since civilians discovered television and the use of the airwaves, should it not follow that the airwaves are private? Otherwise, I'd say the government should compensate me and everybody else for their television sets...because the airwaves don't become available until you have one. It makes me wonder what is a "commonly-shared" resource. Isn't everything owned by somebody, even if it's the government? Don't we all get by through the grace of others, in a sense? I'm not condemning it, but the assertion that we all share something is somewhat of a fallacy in the sense of ownership. And no, I didn't like sharing with the other children. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img] |
#3
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Re: HOWARD STERN, The FCC, and INDECENCY ???
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It makes me wonder what is a "commonly-shared" resource. Isn't everything owned by somebody [/ QUOTE ] Who owns all that oxygen you're breathing? I claim it. Please stop breathing until you've paid me for it, I think $10 per breath sounds fair PM me for payment details. |
#4
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Re: HOWARD STERN, The FCC, and INDECENCY ???
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[ QUOTE ] It makes me wonder what is a "commonly-shared" resource. Isn't everything owned by somebody [/ QUOTE ] Who owns all that oxygen you're breathing? I claim it. Please stop breathing until you've paid me for it, I think $10 per breath sounds fair PM me for payment details. [/ QUOTE ] 1)Actually, airspace disputes are not all that unheard of. Just because no one charges you to breathe doesn't mean they couldn't try. I grant you that it would be a ridiculous assertion, but not because of the ownership issues. However: 2)Why not look at everything I said, instead of grabbing one thing out of context and running with it? Didn't I mention the fact that many of the things that are "free" to us are available to us because of the grace of the owners? It is intrinsic to us that we breathe free air, so it is difficult to conceptualize, and I'm not saying that I think we should be charged for air consumption...I have no problem conceding the personal rights to my airspace for the privilege of breathing and flying through others'...but, we are getting WAAAAAYYYYY off the point about the FCC. I don't think anyone is confusing breathing air with airwaves. |
#5
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Re: HOWARD STERN, The FCC, and INDECENCY ???
Bear in mind, I'm getting this info from my econ book.
[ QUOTE ] It makes me wonder what is a "commonly-shared" resource. [/ QUOTE ] I'll start with this one because it'll help answer your first question. The book says examples of a commonly-shared resource could be something like the ocean or the fish in the sea. No one "owns" the fish in the sea, and because of that there is little incentive to prevent overfishing by any one person. That's what I described as the "problem of the commons" earlier. [ QUOTE ] Not to sound like PVN, but why are airwaves considered a common resource, or, for that matter, owned by the government? Since civilians discovered television and the use of the airwaves, should it not follow that the airwaves are private? [/ QUOTE ] My econ book's author would probably say because there is a finite number of airwaves (I think that's true but I could be wrong) and there's not much to keep some person from buying up a large chunk of them, the government has declared them a common resource and assigns property rights by auctioning off particular frequencies. Does that help at all? |
#6
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Re: HOWARD STERN, The FCC, and INDECENCY ???
[ QUOTE ]
Bear in mind, I'm getting this info from my econ book. [ QUOTE ] It makes me wonder what is a "commonly-shared" resource. [/ QUOTE ] I'll start with this one because it'll help answer your first question. The book says examples of a commonly-shared resource could be something like the ocean or the fish in the sea. No one "owns" the fish in the sea, and because of that there is little incentive to prevent overfishing by any one person. That's what I described as the "problem of the commons" earlier. [ QUOTE ] Not to sound like PVN, but why are airwaves considered a common resource, or, for that matter, owned by the government? Since civilians discovered television and the use of the airwaves, should it not follow that the airwaves are private? [/ QUOTE ] My econ book's author would probably say because there is a finite number of airwaves (I think that's true but I could be wrong) and there's not much to keep some person from buying up a large chunk of them, the government has declared them a common resource and assigns property rights by auctioning off particular frequencies. Does that help at all? [/ QUOTE ] It's at least a reasonable response, rather than the snide one I got earlier. Thanks for that. |
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