File Under: Needed Bureaucracy

I am no fan of bureaucracy, but some is just needed. The FCC's regulation of how broadcasters serve their communities is one instance. In a rare good decision, Chair Kevin Martin has made proposals that would lead to more structure for how that is done.

Some Republicans are claiming that this somehow gets in between the broadcasters and their customers. Fie, I say. I have seen the steady decline of participation in the community by broadcasters over the last 15 years, as they have become more and more deregulated.

WAGM, here in Presque Isle, used to be heavily involved in the community, helping in what ways they could. Not at a loss, I am sure, but not at a gain either. Now, they can't be bothered. For more years than I know, The Presque Isle Rotary Auction was on WAGM. That ended some years back, because the station wasn't profiting from all that "work." WAGM, also no longer belongs to the Chambers of Commerce in Central Aroostook.

So you may be asking, why I think the FCC has a say in these matters? Simple, WAGM and other broadcasters are using the public airwaves for their business model. The original intent, of local service obligations, was to make sure that the community benefits in return for the use of those airwaves. Umpteen seasons of Survivor and American Idol are in no way a benefit to the community.