I hope we don't live to regret political actions affecting our business being hammered out in Washington this week.
It took a decade to come to an agreement on LPFM and in spite of the fact that one of my Senators has been a big proponent of it as an antidote to 15 years of consolidation I still wonder what is going to happen as thousands of new 100 watt FM stations get sandwiched onto the airwaves with very little chance of economic viability driven by "volunteer" programming which will likely be about as compelling as cable television's public access channels.
I like Maria Cantwell a lot on most other issues and fervently hope that she's proven right about the "need" for it.
Now, it's looking as if we may find ourselves with two internets, one with an express lane on it and another one for the rest of us who can't afford to pay for as much speed as the big guys can. On this one, I find myself aligned with my hometown newspaper (click the link to read a Seattle Times editorial that makes simple, direct sense to me) and my Congressman.
I hope Plato was right about politics and that it's more than just an exercise of power.
And, don't even get me started about the implications of possibly impending Performance Rights legislation...
7 years ago
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Now little more than one year into his tenure at the National Association of Broadcasters, president/CEO Gordon Smith is looking at the coming year with plenty on his plate. But the biggest issues facing broadcasters in 2011 will be holdovers from this year.
“The big kahuna will be the performance tax,” Smith says. The two other major issues both focus on television — the potential reclaiming of TV spectrum and government involvement in retransmission consent fights between stations and cable systems. Both radio and TV will also keep a close eye on the FCC, where chairman Julius Genachowski is expected to release his media ownership proposals early next year. Smith says, “We hope ownership rules can be given greater flexibility because there are a lot of rural communities such as where I come from where newspapers, radio and television are struggling and might enjoy the economies of scale.” Congress could also begin work on updating the 1996 Telecom Act, which Smith says presents NAB with “all sorts of opportunities.” Broadcasters may’ve gotten a big break when one of their own — former Oregon station owner Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR) — was named to lead the House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology. Smith says that will be helpful if for nothing more than the fact that he “knows the struggles of radio.”
As expected, the FCC has approved "net neutrality" rules on a party-line 3-2 vote. More soon at www.radioink.com
Thanks for watching that YouTube video! That will be 50 cents, please.
Sound unrealistic? It's actually fairly likely, thanks to a ruling handed down Tuesday by the FCC that will allow Internet service providers to charge customers based on the amount of bandwidth they use. And some argue that it's the greatest threat to freedom we face today.
Welcome to the complex world of net neutrality.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/12/21/need-care-net-neutrality/#ixzz18mQHHbpH
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