Who owns the hall?

[Robert S Chase]

Ah, that is why Congress declared the airwaves to belong to the public. It 
is also why those with a certain viewpoint have worked very hard to negate 
that doctrine and make sure the airwaves belong to whomever can get the 
government to give (and now sell) it to them (read enforce the use by law). 
http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/F/htmlF/fairnessdoct/fairnessdoct.htm

The idea of auctioning off the airwaves as property that can be passed on is 
a direct extension of that viewpoint. Its suprising this happened since we 
should remember that the government got into regulating radio technical 
matters to prevent interference and to ensure that ships installed and used 
radio for safety but from the start it didn't allow monopolies to buy up and 
convert to private use the public property called "the airwaves."

See

 "Resolved, That the Conference on Radio Telephony recommend that the radio 
laws be amended so as to give the Secretary of Commerce adequate legal 
authority for the effective control of-- 
    (1) The establishment of all radio transmitting stations except amateur, 
experimental, and Government stations.
    (2) The operation of nongovernmental radio transmitting stations.1
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the conference that radio 
communication is a public utility and as such should be regulated and 
controlled by the Federal Government in the public interest. 
http://earlyradiohistory.us/1922conf.htm "

BTW, this was Hoover's Commerce Department.

>
> Freedom of speech belongs to those who hire their own hall.
>
> -GAWollman