Let Broadcasters Be Free

LET BROADCASTERS BE FREE
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Former FCC Commissioner James H. Quello]
[Commentary] Broadcasters need help. The government must assure the future maintenance of television and radio's expensive but vital emergency, local-news and community services. Foremost, the amazing influence of the Internet and its universal omnipresence must be fully considered. Second, the multichannel effect of the digital transition, especially for broadcasting, requires a revised regulatory outlook. Quello concludes: "It may be nearing the time that Congress set a date certain to establish a telecommunications open marketplace and eliminate the barriers between TV, radio, newspaper, cable, satellite, DSL and phone services. Companies should be allowed to enter any field in open competition. Remember, it is entrepreneurial industry, not government regulation, that provides investments, jobs and innovative consumer-serving technical advances. Admittedly, this proposal may be a few years ahead of itself, but the progressive benefits to consumers and industries, plus the need to effectively compete in the challenging, burgeoning, international marketplace, makes it a future imperative.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6368434.html?display=Opinion

See also:
* JAMES QUELLO AND THE BROADCAST LOBBY
http://www.benton.org/index.php?q=node/3323