Description
From the former chief economist of the FCC, a remarkable history of the U.S. government’s regulation of the airwaves
Popular legend has it that before the Federal Radio Commission was once established in 1927, the radio spectrum was once in chaos, with broadcasting stations blasting powerful signals to drown out rivals. On this fascinating and entertaining history, Thomas Winslow Hazlett, a distinguished scholar in law and economics, debunks the concept the U.S. government stepped in to impose necessary order. As an alternative, regulators blocked competition on the behest of incumbent interests and, for almost a century, have suppressed innovation at the same time as quashing out-of-the-mainstream viewpoints.
Hazlett details how spectrum officials produced a “vast wasteland” that they publicly criticized but privately safe. The story twists and turns, as farsighted visionaries—and the march of science—rise to challenge the old regime. Over decades, reforms to liberate the radio spectrum have generated explosive progress, ushering in the “smartphone revolution,” ubiquitous social media, and the amazing wireless world now emerging. Still, the writer argues, the battle isn’t even half won.
Popular legend has it that before the Federal Radio Commission was once established in 1927, the radio spectrum was once in chaos, with broadcasting stations blasting powerful signals to drown out rivals. On this fascinating and entertaining history, Thomas Winslow Hazlett, a distinguished scholar in law and economics, debunks the concept the U.S. government stepped in to impose necessary order. As an alternative, regulators blocked competition on the behest of incumbent interests and, for almost a century, have suppressed innovation at the same time as quashing out-of-the-mainstream viewpoints.
Hazlett details how spectrum officials produced a “vast wasteland” that they publicly criticized but privately safe. The story twists and turns, as farsighted visionaries—and the march of science—rise to challenge the old regime. Over decades, reforms to liberate the radio spectrum have generated explosive progress, ushering in the “smartphone revolution,” ubiquitous social media, and the amazing wireless world now emerging. Still, the writer argues, the battle isn’t even half won.
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