FCC and US Patents Crush New Economy
The tightening of the corporate noose around the neck of a free
wheeling internet and communications industry is a problem
hindering the recovery of the "new" economy.
Recent actions include:
- Demanding royalty payments of web radio not paid by other
radio broadcasters. FCC
- Allowing cable operators ISP monopolies, unlike the more open
competition in the telephone network. FCC
- The restriction of low power radio stations and the FCC move to deregulate
television, cable, radio and newspaper ownership. This move to monopoly
control of all information and communication channels stops new ideas
and information flow. FCC
- Corporate threats of DMCA and patent lawsuits stops new products and
services. US Patent Office and Congress.
All of these actions are examples of the shackles recently put on
economic expansion and pushing centralized control of information,
culture and services.
Let me illustrate.
Low power radio offers local channels for very little
cost. In my city, most of the radio is owned by a few conglomerates,
the programming is stultifying radio blandness, but there is
little competition because low power radio is not allowed.
Restrictions of media ownership are being dropped by the FCC, so not
only radio but TV, cable and newspapers will go the same way.
There is already an ISP monopoly on cable by the few cable companies
left. Most cable ISPs do not allow services, like web servers,
which is a direct attack on a free market. Most web sites are "mom and pop"
operations, small traffic. But if these services are removed from
the public as an option with the ISP it hits the innovators of our
economy, the small and new businesses. There is an exlusive cable
franchise granted per area, which is a monopoly. Combined with media
ownership conglomeration the effect is a monopoly on publishing
and web casting of political speech, commercial speech and culture.
If you pay for bandwidth you should be able to use it as you see fit,
like paying for electricity. Limits on the free use of the service
only serves the monopolists by limiting competition. Keeping startup
costs high and technology out of the hands of small business strangles
innovation.
Note that there is no such ISP restriction on the slower telephone line
services. ISP service, long distance service, phone services and
innovations are cheap and plentiful, but as soon as there is potential
for uncontrolled high bandwidth (cable), WHAM, in come the restrictions.
Couple the FCC moves with restrictive patents, licenses, DMCA repression and
the only developers and publishers left will be large corporations,
known only for inventiveness in accounting procedures.
And that is the goal of the Corporatist political organizations
total control, total monopoly.