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Technology Stocks : LAST MILE TECHNOLOGIES - Let's Discuss Them Here -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: MikeM54321 who wrote (7849)	8/1/2000 3:10:50 PM
From: lml	Respond to of 12823

BUT why in the world does ADCT think there is going to be a market for a UHF digital transmitter here in the USA? Why waste time developing a product for a market that is almost non-exsistent? Mike: Let me preface that I am far, far from a knowledgeable person in this area. However, I feel I am in a position to speculate on certain matters much as you & others here do in matters that we hold in great interest. With that said, I would conjecture that at issue here is the freedom to broadcast across the "public" airwaves. If this virtual public ROW is limited to VHF frequencies, you can quickly see that First Amendment (free speech) and Fifth Amendment (equal protection) issues arise. The Federal government is obligated to protect these freedoms under the US Constitution, which BTW, grants to Congress authority over all ROWs involved in interstate commerce, from which the FCC derives its regulatory jurisdiction. Granted, most UHF frequencies today are transmitted over cable, and DBS, for that matter, nonetheless, the FCC holds jurisdiction over those licenses, and one time were exclusively broadcasted over-the-air. In exchange for the license to transmit these frequencies I speculate that the MSOs have obligated themselves to certain "must carry" rules that require them to carry a certain number of local access broadcasting on their various system. As you know, not every citizen purchases, or can purchase, cable or DBS, nor should every citizen be required to, unless it is as free as the access every citizen has to the public street ROWs we all enjoy. Analogize cable & DBS to a toll road, if you will. But suppose the toll roads were so attractive to motorists that 75% of motorists would opt to travel across private roads instead of the public ROW. What policy should gov't adopt with respect to maintenance of the public ROWs? Should they be abandoned? Of course, not. Should the obligation of the Federal gov't with respect to keeping these roads open for ALL citizens continue? Who granted the right of the toll road to operate in competition with the public ROWs? The point I am getting to is that each broadcaster operates under an FCC license, and with the license is attached certain obligations. And this case if someone wishes to broadcast UHF signals, but only to cable & DBS customers, then it is incumbent upon the Federal gov't to impose the additional obligation of that licensee to also transmit that signal along the public ROW for the common good. JMO.