Mark,
I agree completely with your closing sentiment that "Everything we do
should be aimed at providing ourselves protection from being wiped out
due to pressure from Congress or the Big Boys". I don't however
understand your "beef" with this particular FCC action. Mr. Moses was
and is now again providing a clear and valuable public service to the
community of Goldfield Nevada which (if you've ever been there) is a
near ghost-town that's fighting to continue to exist as a community. It
seems that Mr. Moses's broadcasting is providing a significant service
to the town while harming nobody. Goldfield is located in the desert
three hours north of Las Vegas and six hours south of Reno. This is a
desolate rural area with little to no local broadcasters so no risk of
interference to anyone.
http://maps.yahoo.com/index.php#q1=goldfield%2C+nv.&trf=0&mvt=m&lon=-117.240601&lat=37.714245&mag=11
Mr. Moses is harming no one and he is obviously helping his community. I
say (figuratively) "more power to him". As to your comment that Senator
Reid is corrupt... well I'm not even going to go there. I don't want to
start ranting about the very real endemic, destructive political
corruption that has been on display in our Nation's Capital recently.
To end on a positive note, I'll just repeat that I agree with your
ending sentiment that we (WISPs) need to do everything to protect
ourselves from being wiped out by the "Big Boys". Mr. Moses isn't trying
to wipe us out, AT&T IS trying and has been doing a very good job of
that. Let's keep our eyes on the right ball.
Respectfully,
jack
wispa wrote:
http://www.arnewsline.org/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=18&Itemid=
If you scroll down a bit...
Quote:
RADIO LAW: SENATOR AIDS UNLICENSED BROADCASER TO RETURN TO THE AIR
A high ranking Democrat and leader in the Senate has helped an unlicensed
radio station return to the airwaves. This, after the FCC acted to take it
off the air following an inspection revealed that it had no license. Amateur
Radio Newsline's Norm Seeley, KI7UP, is in Scottsdale, Arizona with more:
--
Rod Moses, the owner of Radio Goldfield Broadcast Inc., was given special
temporary authority to go back on the air with his low-power radio station in
a January 29th letter from the Federal Communications Commission. A letter
generated by pressure brought by Nevada Democratic Senator Harry Reid.
Based the action on a complaint filed with the agency, FCC enforcement agents
came to Moses' trailer on June 9, 2006. This is the location that also houses
his radio station, The FCC engineers inspected the station, and then
requested that it be shut it down. Moses complied but then wrote to Senator
Reed asking his assistance in getting back on the air. He explained that he
had been running the station he calls Radio Goldfield since March 2005. In
that time frame he had been broadcasting community news as well as oldies
from an MP3 player. He wanted a low power license but had been informed by
the FCC that the period to apply had long ago expired.
Reed apparently got Moses letter and in turn wrote to the FCC. In his letter
to FCC chairman Kevin Martin dated Sept. 1, 2006,, Senator Reed stated that
Radio Goldfield made significant public interest contributions to the local
community. He told Martin that the unlicensed stations programming brought
regular weather reports to this high-desert area of Nevada, where conditions
can abruptly change in often times dramatic ways.
It did not take the FCC very long to act. It soon wrote to Moses giving him
permission to put his unlicensed station back on the air. The letter cites
Section 309(f) of the communications Act of 1934, which authorizes the
commission to grant the temporary allowance in cases of extraordinary
circumstances requiring temporary authorizations in the public interest.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline., I'm Norm Seeley, KI7UP, reporting from
Scottsdale.
End quote.
Over the years, pirate radio people have ALWAYS gotten nailed - shut down.
One corrupt Senator's wishes and he gets his STA, and probably a license.
Anyone think this is a bad omen? I do. Apparently influence and special
interests carry the day at the FCC too.
Last time the window was open to apply for low power FM translators, a
couple of companies applied for HUNDREDS of LPFM translator stations as non-
profit. After closing, the company amended all of the applications pending
to be "commercial". Meaning they got to apply for a broadcast license for
free, and now, after being granted modification to the application, they get
to sell these granted licenses to commercial stations. They have profited
many hundreds of thousands of dollars - and they totally clogged the FCC's
licensing system, delaying legitemate license applications by months or years.
I'm not trying to flame the FCC... but I do wish to point out that it's a
federal agency... subject to political whims and pressure to act outside the
interest of the public or nation.
Again, federally regulating internet connectivity can result in us being
swept into obvlivion at the stroke of a pen, and no amount of grovelling or
pleading, or having played "nice", will earn us even a moment's
reconsideration. Everything we do should be aimed at providing ourselves
protection from being wiped out due to pressure from Congress or the Big Boys
first, and wishes for favors a very distant 2nd.
<sigh>
--------------------------------------------
Mark Koskenmaki <> Neofast, Inc
Broadband for the Walla Walla Valley and Blue Mountains
541-969-8200
--
Jack Unger ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) - President, Ask-Wi.Com, Inc.
Serving the License-Free Wireless Industry Since 1993
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