Ted Cruz wants to ban propaganda from Mexico (oh and Canada)
Apr 27, 2020 15:08:44 GMT -6
Post by CAwasinNJ on Apr 27, 2020 15:08:44 GMT -6
This news broke over the weekend. Senator Ted Cruz is looking to introduce legislation that prevents US based entities from obtaining FCC licenses to broadcast propaganda over stations across the border in Mexico (or Canada.)
radioinsight.com/headlines/186485/ted-cruz-proposes-bill-to-force-fcc-to-investigate-language-changes-of-border-stations-focusing-on-xeww/
www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/195941/ted-cruz-to-propose-law-banning-chinese-from-airin
Keeping in mind that I'm not lawyer, this is so utterly ridiculous to me that I'm not sure where to even start. Probably the biggest issue with this proposed legislation is how it flies in the face of the First Amendment and the Prior Restraint Doctrine. You just can't do that. Beyond that, it's pretty clear that Cruz knows nothing about how radio works or its history. Even if this legislation were to pass, there's nothing stopping the US entity from feeding the foreign station in a way other than a radio license. For example, they could feed it over the internet. From my lowly consumer grade DSL connection I can get high quality audio from anywhere is the world. With a business class service the connection would be pretty much rock solid. But even in a worst case scenario they could go back to what was being done back 50-odd years ago with Wolfman Jack on XERB. Cross border broadcasting didn't exist at the time so The Wolfman would record his show live to tape in LA at night and have the tapes driven down to Tijuana the next day to be played on the air that night.
I have to wonder whether Cruz is really going to introduce this now that the word is out and the reaction to it seems to be all negative, as it should be. To spite how anyone may personally feel about the Chinese Communist Party (and I personally can't stand them) this type of censorship is un-American and in fact the exact kind of thing that the CCP itself does. It's also worthless and pointless.
radioinsight.com/headlines/186485/ted-cruz-proposes-bill-to-force-fcc-to-investigate-language-changes-of-border-stations-focusing-on-xeww/
www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/195941/ted-cruz-to-propose-law-banning-chinese-from-airin
Keeping in mind that I'm not lawyer, this is so utterly ridiculous to me that I'm not sure where to even start. Probably the biggest issue with this proposed legislation is how it flies in the face of the First Amendment and the Prior Restraint Doctrine. You just can't do that. Beyond that, it's pretty clear that Cruz knows nothing about how radio works or its history. Even if this legislation were to pass, there's nothing stopping the US entity from feeding the foreign station in a way other than a radio license. For example, they could feed it over the internet. From my lowly consumer grade DSL connection I can get high quality audio from anywhere is the world. With a business class service the connection would be pretty much rock solid. But even in a worst case scenario they could go back to what was being done back 50-odd years ago with Wolfman Jack on XERB. Cross border broadcasting didn't exist at the time so The Wolfman would record his show live to tape in LA at night and have the tapes driven down to Tijuana the next day to be played on the air that night.
I have to wonder whether Cruz is really going to introduce this now that the word is out and the reaction to it seems to be all negative, as it should be. To spite how anyone may personally feel about the Chinese Communist Party (and I personally can't stand them) this type of censorship is un-American and in fact the exact kind of thing that the CCP itself does. It's also worthless and pointless.
