Where is the FCC when you need them?

The original purpose of the FCC was to protect the airwaves that are owned by the citizens of the United States. That is, all United States airwaves are owned by the citizenry.

During the Reagan Reaction, the communications industry was deregulated and the job of the FCC became to protect the profits of corporations leasing the airwaves and not the citizens who own the airwaves.

This has led to a federal commission that punishes not just those who interfere with profit-making, but anyone interfering with the theocratic agenda of Washington.

In April, 2004, I wrote about the FCC's immoral campaign against that dullard Howard Stern. I may think he is dull, but I am appalled at his treatment by ClearChannel and the FCC. (Please note that I refer to Stern as a self-declared Republican in that article and many have told me I am wrong about that. I can't be bothered to investigate, but I am willing to be wrong about it.)

If we are going to hold the talent to strict standards of on-air behavior, I think we must hold the corporations to even stricter standards of business behavior.

Cable television service in the United States is an embarrassment. It is grossly over-priced and the technical support is nearly non-existent. I hear horror stories regularly. My personal experience with Cablevision, my current provider, is laughable! The prices are so high and the service so bad that I begged a support person to put me through to her supervisor because she did such a good job! (I see no point of complaining about bad service, because that seems to be Cablevision's business plan so why bother complaining about the obvious!)

I have, however, never had the experience of LaChania Govan, of Illinois. She has been calling Comcast (her cable provider) on a regular basis because the service is so bad.

I guess she got a bit of a reputation at the office, and this month, her bill arrived with her address correctly imprinted, but her name was listed as "Bitch"!

Now, if Howard Stern had been on a Comcast broadcast and called Ms. Govan a bitch, there would have been million-dollar fines and he would have been terminated. Comcast has terminated two employees, but where are the million dollar fines from the FCC?

Is this how the FCC allows Comcast to do business? Does the FCC not hold broadcasters to particular standards of business practice?

This story is amazing and points to the total failure of corporate deregulation: corporations can treat consumers any way they like and there will never be any ramifications!

I still find it hard to believe that American business has gotten so bad, and that American capitalism has been so destroyed.

Here is the original article Mrs. Mac sent me.



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1984
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