axus
join:2001-06-18
Washington, DC Reviews:
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| reply to fiberguy
Re: Can't disagree I agree with parts of what you're saying. The government cannot and should not mandate what development and company must actively do, or mandate certain features be included. That's one reason I think the V-chip rule is bad, requiring certain programming, etc. They can't tell Apple to make a phone that supports anyone with a cell tower.
I think the government function is to say what companies must NOT do, like "you can't broadcast in analog anymore", "you can't cause interference", "you can't override statutory rights in a contract", "you can't own more than 35% of the cable television market". If they want to say "you can't make an exclusivity agreement", I'm all for it. That doesn't mean Apple has to sell to anyone, just that AT&T can't stop them.
Also, I think these monopoly power kind of issues belong to the FTC, not the FCC. Exclusivity agreements are about "restraint of trade", not spectrum or interoperability.
I'll make an exception on "prohibit but don't require" for things like safety concerns in planes, trains, and automobiles, and auditing requirements for financial institutions. Saying "If you make a car, it has to have a seatbelt and airbag" or "If you take people's money for savings and investments, you must do these things" is necessary. Ultimately the limit of our government comes from the Constitution plus politicians we elect, in theory that lets common sense override rigid ideology. |
