patrick.net

https://www.coffeeandcovid.com/p/adios-amigos-monday-january-27-2025

All last year, Candidate Trump repeatedly complained that the alphabet networks “should have their licenses or whatever they have taken away.” In late fall, an influential conservative thought leader floated a radical idea: strip the broadcast spectrum from the alphabet networks, auction it off for cutting-edge uses, and use the windfall to pay down the national debt.

That conservative thought leader, David Sacks, is now Trump’s brand-new AI and Cryptocurrency Czar. Meanwhile, Elon Musk, who championed Sacks’ sell-the-spectrum proposal, now heads DOGE, with a mission to tackle the national debt. Musk argued passionately that the spectrum could be repurposed for transformative technologies like GPS and the “Internet of Things.”

Why would the alphabet networks even need the spectrum, in this age dominated by streaming anyway? Seriously, who—if anyone—is still using rabbit ears to watch the news?

Circling back around, consider how one of Brendan Carr’s first acts as the new FCC Chairman was to resurrect the three hastily dismissed complaints—one against each of the three major networks. It’s a move pregnant, as they say, with portentous possibility. But given the networks’ biased coverage of the two presidents’ pardons, it’s not even clear they’re smart enough to sweat bullets.

We may not know exactly what, but something is going on. As you can imagine, “taking their licenses away” is not a simple or straightforward proposition. The actual licenses are held by many individual local stations, not the main networks, and there is a long statutory window before they can be canceled. But still.

The possibilities include everything from permanently breaking the networks’ news cartel by re-allocating broadcast spectrum for more productive purposes, to disciplining the networks somehow after their reprehensible, lopsided campaign performance with resulting commitment to stop doing things like cover Trump’s pardons fifteen times more than Bidens’.

In other words, this is Trump’s chance to deliver generational change. We’ll see where it goes. But it’s bold, boisterous, and let’s face it—the Trump Show promises to be far more entertaining than anything else on broadcast television.

Patrick says

Seriously, who—if anyone—is still using rabbit ears to watch the news?

Quite a few people still watch over the air TV. Antennas are still big business at Walmart and Best Buy.

Patrick says

the spectrum could be repurposed for transformative technologies like GPS

GPS uses gigahertz freqs, TV Uses mostly UHF and some VHF.

Patrick says

radical idea: strip the broadcast spectrum from the alphabet networks, auction it off for cutting-edge uses, and use the windfall to pay down the national debt.

The radical Idea of the billionaire venture capitalist, David Sacks. The new White House AI & Crypto Czar.

David Sacks went from calling Trump a J6 riot felon in 2021, to hosting a fundraiser for the campaign at his San Francisco home in 2024. Tickets sold for $300,000 each

"The new special position was created with a status that exempts Sacks from undergoing confirmation hearings. And from specific financial disclosure requirements."
- Business Insider

This allows Sacks to maintain his business interests, while influencing policy.

Patrick says

Trump’s chance to deliver generational change.

Sam Altman of OpenAI said he has confidence in the integrity of such new appointees.