The Barack Obama Administration is fabulously successful at choosing terribly in the private sector.
Solyndra. Fisker. The Chevy Volt. Ener1. A123 Systems. Beacon Power. Abound Solar. Evergreen Solar. And on, and on, and….
It’s often Crony Socialism – President Obama giving governmental benefit and/or our money to his donors and friends. Or it’s his having no idea what works and what doesn’t. Or both. Regardless, his Administration – any Administration – is perpetually pathetic when it tries to decide what should happen in the private sector.
So of course President Obama’s at it again.
On Friday the Obama Justice Department strongly suggested the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) make sure everyone get their “fair share” of wireless spectrum in the upcoming spectrum auction.
“The Department concludes that rules that ensure the smaller nationwide networks, which currently lack substantial low-frequency spectrum, have an opportunity to acquire such spectrum could improve the competitive dynamic among nationwide carriers and benefit consumers.”
I know what you’re thinking – it’s an auction. Everyone that wants spectrum attends the auction – thus everyone has “an opportunity to acquire…spectrum.” But you’re thinking like a rational human being – not like an Obama Leftist bureaucrat.
“The Department believes it is important that the Commission devise policies that address the allocation of low-frequency spectrum in particular so that acquisitions of such spectrum do not hamper the ability of carriers in markets where that spectrum is important.”
The Obama Justice Department wants the Obama FCC to rig the spectrum auction. So that it’s not actually an auction – it’s a quota set-aside program. Affirmative Action for wireless companies.
Where people who don’t make the highest bids – win the bids anyway. Or where the FCC forbids some willing participants from participating.
It’s not picking winners and losers – it’s picking losers at the expense of winners.
Because the Justice Department’s demands only became public late Friday, there have thus far been very few reactions. But the Media Marxists that have weighed in – are thrilled with this inter-governmental ideological interloping.
“All of these recommendations are in line with what Public Knowledge and many others have been advocating for years, and it is gratifying to see the DoJ take such a strong stand in favor of competition and against the wireless status quo. We urge the FCC to take the DoJ’s recommendations very seriously and to make reforming its spectrum aggregation policies its top wireless priority.”
The “wireless status quo” which these folks are “against” – is the amazing, hurtling-ever-forward smart phone Xanadu we are all currently enjoying. Let us look at but one facet of this alleged horrendous-ness.
Less than six years ago, an “app” was what you submitted to a college admissions office. Then came the iPhone (which begat a whole host of other devices with app-lications). In November 2008, there were 10,000 iPhone apps. In January 2011, there were 306,000. This January, there were 775,000.
This unbelievable, exponential progress – is the “status quo” the Left opposes. And – in the interest of “fairness” – wants the government to proactively diminish.
How about we let an auction be an auction – and not yet another government-mandated redistribution program?
[First Published at Red State]
Seton Motley is the president of Less Government, a DC-based non-profit organization dedicated to reducing the power of government and protecting the First Amendment from governmental assault.
