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First Nations Want Cellphone Revenue
Peacenik45 writes "The CBC is reporting that First Nations in Manitoba want compensation for every cell phone signal that passes through their land because it violates their airspace. The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs recently resolved to negotiate revenue sharing with Manitoba Telecom Services. Ovide Mercredi of the Grand Rapids First Nations says "When it comes to using airspace, it's like using our water and simply because there's no precedent doesn't mean that it's not the right thing to do." This move may inspire First Nations in other provinces to follow suit."
No, they're simply hoping that Liberal guilt and the belief that we have to compensate them for things that happened generations ago will override common sense. Just like Blacks demanding southern Whites give them money to compensate for their ancestors being slaves. Hell, if that's fair, then every, single Jewish man, woman and child in the world deserves money from the Egyptians!
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It is no mistake that this is coming out of autonomous territories where federal laws appropriating radio frequencies for specific uses have little or questionable jurisdiction. Whether or not you personally believe they are entitled to, these groups are perfectly capable of jamming radio transmissions used by others crossing over their sovereign territory, so they do have de facto control over them (by virtue of being able to disallow them). They own the territory and have the potential to fulfill this anarcho-capitalist's wet dream of a land where there are no governmental controls over frequency allotment.
Considering the flavor of politics around here, I'm surprised I'm not seeing more posts in support of these First Nations' actions.
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