The broadcasters' Senate allies forced FCC chair William Kennard to back away from the proposal, at least temporarily, by threatening to pass an appropriations rider prohibiting the F.C.C. from adopting a free TV rule. Gauging from the vigor of the broadcasters' response, you'd think free TV proposals would spell certain doom for the industry. To the contrary, the proposals that are gaining currency are quite modest. Qualified candidates and political parties would then redeem some prescribed allocation of the time, in segments of a minute or more, with vouchers furnished by the government. Let's put this proposal in perspective.
Broadcasters make a pretty penny from our gift of free spectrum.
So when we hear newscasters and pundits railing about the skyrocketing costs of campaigns, let's not forget whose pockets the money is lining. The broadcasters breathlessly invoke their public interest obligations whenever conversation turns to steps that would line their pockets even more. We serve the public interest. Not reduced rate. Seventy billion dollars ought to buy a lot of public interest.