Submitted by Ian Gallagher, Jul 27, 2007 19:55

Unlike newspapers and movies and blogs and cable channels, the federal government gives commercial broadcasters a free license to use public property-the airwaves. There are still more people who want these licenses than the government is able to satisfy. In exchange for this very valuable and scarce license, and federal protection against "pirate" (unlicensed) radio operators, broadcasters are supposed to operate in the public interest.

Commercial broadcasters want to be trustees of public property but without responsibility.

The broadcasters like the free license and the free protection, but they just don't want the public involved in telling them whether they are actually serving the public interest..

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