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Microbroadcasting Summer Camp
ScottGant writes "Wired has this
story about Steven Dunifer and his four-day Radio Summer Camps sponsored by Free Radio Berkeley that offers how-tos for building transmitters and antennas, along with advice on handling any FCC agents that might come knocking. Imagine this: A thousand little stations send radio programming across cities and towns from senior centers, dorm rooms and attics. The understaffed FCC would be powerless to shut them down. Audiences would have substantive content choices. No one would tune into Top-40 radio. And the media moguls would slink back into their caves. The FCC and Big Radio are obviously paying attention to the microbroadcasters -- it was
pressure from independent broadcasters that forced the FCC to grant a limited number of low-power, or LPFM, radio licenses to community organizations, a decision that the NAB resisted. Are these Pirates or Patriots?"
Are these Pirates or Patriots?
Can they be both?
Imagine this: A thousand little stations send radio programming across cities and towns from senior centers, dorm rooms and attics. The understaffed FCC would be powerless to shut them down. Audiences would have substantive content choices. No one would tune into Top-40 radio.... Are these Pirates or Patriots?
Try "idiots". There's only so much radio band out there. If there were 1000 little stations then result would not be 1000 choices of content, it would be ZERO choices of content, because there'd be so much mishmash and overlap that nobody'd be able to tune in shit without interference.
If you want to kill off FM Radio, this'd be a good way to do it. But it wouldn't be a good way to help out the people who just want to hear tunes. Want to broadcast your selection of tunes? Go get a license like everybody else.
Bullshit. That's like saying if you broadcast pirate TV shows, noone would watch Survivor or American Idol.
Try this if you want to build a free-standing FM transmitter from a kit, or this if you want to drop a PCI card into your PC and be on the air instantly.
You were 80% angel, 10% demon. The rest was hard to explain. - Over The Rhine
"Math in a song is good."-Linford
I know this will not be popular, but there is a reason for the FCC to be around and to control the spectrum.
The popularity of your statements is irrelevant. Their logic and basis is the issue.
Also with these vandals (yes I use the word vandals) it would be nice if they were low power and such, but they get their kicks from broadcasting over another station.
First, you've already made up your mind. Do you know any of "these vandals"? Have you met them?
In my experience (and I have LONG experience in both ham radio and microbroadcasting) most of the people you're talking about will NOT broadcast over another station because doing so is contrary to their own goals.
The goal of micropower radio is to HAVE A RADIO STATION OF YOUR OWN. It's a little counterproductive to go around vandalizing other stations. You tend to last longer the more you control your signal and keep it from interfering.
That is one reason for the FCC to protect peoples right to their freq. If one wants something on the air there is always the public access stations.
The peoples' right to their freq? Nobody has a RIGHT to a frequency under the FCC. The use of a frequency is a PRIVILEGE doled out to those who can either pass a test (ham radio) or pay enough cash (spectrum auctions, license fees).
Under the FCC, the PEOPLE have NO RIGHT to broadcast anything. And that's the problem. The spectrum belongs to EVERYONE but the FCC will only allow broadcasting to those who have deep, deep pockets.
Precisely whose interests do you suppose they are protecting?
Or you could do a net stream, there are many other options, the FCC is not there just to hurt the little guy, they are there to protect the bands, they are not always good at it, and they make mistakes
You COULD do lots of things. You could publish a book or you could distribute tapes or you could stand on a box in a park with a bullhorn.
The problem with this argument is that it's fallacious. It says, "You don't need to do A because you can always do B." Fine, there are always alternatives.
Why do you need to use the internet? I mean really...you could use the telephone or send a letter or distribute your data on floppies or cds. When you use the internet, you're risking interference to others. How do we know that your machine won't become infected with a virus and trojan and send out spam or attack our networks? We'd better regulate the Internet and make so that only the wealthy can use it! Oh, we'll give little 14.4k connections to those who can pass a test...that way if they get infected then they can only send a little spam.
The fallacy is about convenience. Why do 3 to 6 megacorporate conglomerates get to control ALL public discourse in the United States via the most powerful media? They clearly don't do a good job and they clearly have a vested interest in keeping certain information from us (like when their other products are faulty or their CEO commits a crime).
Why can't WE THE PEOPLE, by whose authority public resources are SUPPOSED to be available fairly (if not equally), use broadcast media for our own purposes?
Cost? Anyone can now buy or build a transmitter that will comply with regulations for little money.
Scarcity of spectrum? Maybe in New York or LA but in a town like Des Moines, Iowa there's PLENTY of specturm available...and a town like that NEEDS the diversity of voice.
Standards? BULLSHIT! America has no standards but the dollar.
The issue is competition. Understand this concept and everything else makes sense. People who have money and power will DO ANYTHING (lie, cheat, steal and kill) to keep others from getting money and power. Win lose mentality. The FCC are merely their buttboys.
The problem with this is that microbroadcasting isn't about money and power. It's about freedom and it's about choice and it's about diversity and it's about art and it's about expression. But the big corps can't fathom this. How could something not be about our one right true and only God MONEY????
Top 40 and talk radio are a disease. Micropowerbroadcasting is the cure.
Set up a thousand little 802.11 hotspots with point-to-point links to send all sorts of data across cities and towns from senior centers, dorm rooms and attics! Its already legal! The hardware is already cheap!
Now you've not only got local content streaming radio, you've got VoIP services, freely distributable media sharing, local news blogs, etc etc.
This is the dream of many wireless community networking groups, including The Personal Telco Project in Portland, Oregon, USA.