Charles Platt on broadcast flag: Two cheers for the FCC! [ip]

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

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Date: Wed, 5 Nov 2003 11:43:38 -0500 (EST)
From: Charles Platt <other () platt us>
To: Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>
Subject: Two cheers for the FCC
In-Reply-To: <6.0.0.22.2.20031105111808.0224b708 () mail well com>

The FCC ruling pleases me in a way. Any shortsighted policy
that discourages consumers from watching broadcast TV or
raises the price of equipment for receiving broadcast TV is a
step in the right direction from my point of view. Broadcast
TV is an entrenched politically sanctioned zone of zero
effective competition, with all the usual consequences. In
addition I think it helps to make people stupid. Ideally it
should be taxed into oblivion, but crippling it with DMCA
measures is better than nothing I guess.

Of course even more ideally the FCC should be abolished and
the airwaves should be auctioned, but that isn't going to
happen. Since government appears to be unavoidable at this
time, it should behave as self-destructively as possible.

--CP
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