FCC Questions

1) Do broadcasters use radio and television to quickly and effectively respond to the local communities needs and interests? Give examples to support your answer.

Broadcasters rarely use radio and television to achieve any sense of localism due to the fact that the majority of stations are based nationally (although moreso in television). On the radio, we have local broadcast stations, but even they don't harp on any "local" issues or things that would pertain to the surrounding community. There exist few local radio stations which focus solely on the goings-on of its region in effort to raise awareness or provide solutions to these problems. As far as nationally broadcasted television and radio stations, most of these show general programming- nothing specific to the community of a singular person watching, but encompasses the nation in topics that are understood from coast to coast.

In the case of Clear Channel Communications, a large media conglomerate , Texans were left completely unaware of a violent flood that was headed in their direction. They were unaware because their local stations were owned by the corporation, not by the public. Instead of warning broadcasts, the water rushed in and took lives while survivors could only listen to the popular music off the charts.

2)Are there certain kinds of local programming (Public Media Values) that should be available, but are not being provided by broadcasters? what could some examples of these be?

The kinds of local programming that should be available are the ones that were omitted in cases such as the Clear Channel case above. There should be at least two or three stations fully committed to local programming, covering four or five counties or so, keeping the local publics informed of all issues that pertain fully to their ways of living. Flood warnings, increased crime, political issues such as mayoral or representative elections- all of these should be covered because they won't be covered on any nationally broadcasted programming.

To use a pop reference, "Wayne's World", an SNL sketch-turned-movie featuring Mike Meyers and Dana Carvey, is an example of local programming. While they don't cover compelling local issues, this station is a basis for localism in the media. "Wayne's World" would never air, but with radio and television stations devoted to providing air-worthy programs with valuable and relevant information, the populus can remain more informed. It should be broadcasting for the community, by the community.

3) What could the Federal Communication Commission do to promote localism in broadcasting? Explain three of these examples of public-service-oriented projects that are already in process across the US.

To promote localism in broadcasting, the FCC needs to create provisions where these local stations are not just encouraged, but mandatory, and they also need to be kept under a watchful eye. So many community stations are not monitored properly. No one is willing to put in the time nor the effort to put quality shows together, due to the low budget. The FCC needs to contribute to these smaller stations and give them and their employees purpose. In the meantime, there are some public-service-oriented projects that are underway.

In Utah, there is a community broadband project, a $470 million dollar endeavor in which the state government can provide internet access, phone access, and television access at speeds 100x faster than their current rate, due to a fiberoptic network. While this is under attack by corporations who provide these services, if all cities comply and raise money, there would be a statewide-network in place.

LPFM- low power fm radio- is an idea that almost came to fruition, was halted, and is making a rise again. LPFM would provide thousands of local radio stations, free from commercials, from airing in local markets. Commercial stations were upset, fearing that these new stations would take away from their current listeners and create interference. The interference claims upheld, but a recent movement has brought LPFM back to the surface, and another strong push is being made to create these thousands of local stations.

Also, because of the proposition in Utah, the Supreme Court has allowed states, if they see it fit, to create these state-wide networks. While this does not mandate it nor encourage it, the door is now open for more of these intrastate networks to be created, enhancing local pride, awareness, and knowledge.

The (Not So) Great Debate

For as much as America has grown, it seems that politics have regressed to a juvenile state. Running for any public office has become less about the issues and more about slandering the opponent and their camp. This goes as far down as mayor and as high as the presidency, which is far more public and under far more scrutiny. Never has the importance of economic, foreign, gun, and domestic policies been so belittled by the efforts of each candidate to make their opponents seem ignorant, misguided, and downright evil.

Making this point most apparent was the recent presidential debate between Senators John McCain (R) and Barack Obama (D). Regardless of the question asked by the moderator, McCain would lash into Obama's policies, and at times, would even criticize the way Obama's campaign criticizes him. Is this what politics has come to? Even further than undermining the opponent, now we're undermining them for improperly undermining us? The moderator couldn't even escape this fad when he proposed several questions regarding Obama's commercials that question McCain's economic policy.

Fortunately, at times, Obama would respond by defending and elaborating on his ideas, bringing the debate back to something resembling, well, a debate. Whenever politics switched over to an elementary school shouting match needs to be stricken from time. Considering our current political situation, it is necessary for the voters to understand where these candidates will help, not how their opponents are catering to a man with the surname of his vocation.




Seriously though...what kind of society would we be living in without plumbing?

Steve Kurtz

In regards to the USA Patriot Act, I understand and support that there are times when the government needs to step in and investigate certain people and activities. However, these investigations need to be within reason, and cases should not be fabricated in order to justify individual searches. This act is justified in itself- its focus and purpose is to protect the inhabitants of our nation- it needs no further justification.

In the situation of Steve Kurtz, an artist and amateur scientist, woke up one morning and found his wife motionless and not-breathing. The next morning, he found FBI agents scouring his home for potentially evidence for foul play. Then he found himself in a legal battle with the government over the possession of bacteria for studies of the harmful effects of herbicides. Completely unrelated, the purpose for this dogfight was spawned from an invitation to an art show, that was written in a language that had a resemblance to arabic (how's that for profiling?).

Kurtz was examining the damage these genetically altered bacteria could have, simply because professional scientists were in the pocket of big business and the government. Scientists who work for these agricultural companies certainly aren't going to throw their employers under the bus, so nothing negative would ever come of the reports. Dr. Arpad Pustazi of the Rowett Research Institute in Scotland was fired after 36 years of service for publishing an independent study showing that GMOs did damage to the intestines and other organs of rats. With those consequences, who is going to take a stand against these harmful products?

Kurtz, and other amateur scientists, gladly took that task. They wanted to make the dangers of these products known to the common consumer, hoping they would be able to do what "real" scientists were too scared to. Where did that put him? In court with the FBI for mail fraud; his friend, Dr. Robert Ferrell, traded specimen with Kurtz- a practice common among scientists. Kurtz refused to allow this to set the standard in government practice, and fought the FBI every step of the way. He managed to narrow the letter of the law, not expand it, and because of men like Kurtz, the USA Patriot Act is now closer to its original intent.

Cult of the Amateur Quiz

Paging Dr. Hacker

Hospitals are supposed to rectify illnesses; give you a sense of comfort, safety, and hope. With hospitals recording their patients' information digitally, however, that sense of safety has been compromised. At Vassar Hospital, many patients were betrayed by their trusted hospital's database.

An unknown hacker infiltrated all of the records in the hospital's computer, and was able to retrieve the identities of all registered patients. This potentially led to numerous counts of identity and credit card fraud, leaving many people at risk of mass amounts of unwarranted debt.

The hospital sent out a letter- USPS, not email- warning all current and former patients of the hack and recommending a notification to the credit card companies. Shortly after, any uses of credit by these people were under scrutiny and most transactions took anywhere from half an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes. A lack of security at Vassar Hospital led to financial inconvenience for so many.

This instance is certainly scary, to say the least. The fact that a safe haven like a hospital is at risk of occurrences such as this makes me skeptical of the most basic online shopping sites. What could their security be like if a hospital is open to hackers. This is a problem that needs to be rectified sooner than later, or no one in this world can possibly feel like their identity is locked down tight.