Re: FCC gives ultimatum to Radio Free Brattleboro

["Dan Billings" <billings@suscom-maine.net>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Damon Cassell" <radiofreak@4motion.org>
To: "Brian Vita" <brian_vita@cssinc.com>
Cc: "'Bob Nelson'" <raccoonradio@yahoo.com>;
<boston-radio-interest@bostonradio.org>
Sent: Friday, September 05, 2003 4:25 PM
Subject: RE: FCC gives ultimatum to Radio Free Brattleboro


> Is it really that simple? He's just an ignorant lawyer, oblivious to the
> obvious illegality of pirate broadcasting? Or, did he really mean to say
> something like "in an age of hyper-consolidation, rapidly
> growing media monopolies, corporate fraud and malfeasance, etc., why is
> the FCC aggressively targeting a rural pirate radio station that quite
> probably doesn't hurt anyone or amount to anything?" Or maybe he said
> something like that and the journalist, not wanting to confuse his 8th
> grade level readers, paraphrased for him?
>
> While I don't disagree that RFB is breaking the law, and trying to argue
> otherwise is fruitless, doesn't it (broadcasting, without a license,
> with 10 watts.. in Vermont) really amount to radio jaywalking?

No it is not.  If you look at the areas that the FCC has responsibility for,
I can't think of any offense that is worse than broadcasting without a
license.

It is even worse with the advent of low power licenses.  Groups like RFB can
now actually get a license.

-- Dan Billings, Bowdoinham, Maine