HomeUploadUpload DirectHotlinkRandomAbouttheme toggle
Expand

How Deregulation Gave Us FM Radio, HBO, and the iPhone

Views:918
@ReasonVids

The FCC is designed to protect incumbents, enrich politicians, and screw consumers, says economist Thomas Hazlett.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://youtube.com/reasontv
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Reason.Magazine/
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/reason
Subscribe to our podcast at iTunes: https://goo.gl/az3a7a

Reason is the planet's leading source of news, politics, and culture from a libertarian perspective. Go to reason.com for a point of view you won't get from legacy media and old left-right opinion magazines.

----------------

"We've gone to a modern broadcast system that has a lot of places where stuff can happen without permission," says Thomas W. Hazlett, who's the FCC's former chief economist, a professor at Clemson University, and author of the new book The Political Spectrum: The Tumultuous Liberation of Wireless Technology, from Herbert Hoover to the Smartphone. "And we have seen that the smartphone revolution and some other great stuff in the wireless space has really burgeoned...That comes from deregulation."

So-called net neutrality rules are designed to solve a non-existent problem and threaten to restrict consumer choice, Hazlett tells Reason's Nick Gillespie. "The travesty is there's already a regulatory scheme to address anti-competitive behavior—it's called antitrust law."

Greater autonomy and consumer freedom led to the development of cable television, the smartphone revolution, and the modern internet. While we've come a long way from the old days of mother-may-I pleading with the FCC to grant licenses for new technology, Hazlett says, "there's a lot farther to go and there's a lot of stuff out there that's being suppressed."

He points to the history of radio and television. Herbert Hoover and Lyndon Johnson exercised extraordinary control over spectrum allocation, which they used for their own political and financial gain. With liberalization, we now have hundreds of hours of varied television programming as compared to the big three broadcast networks of the '60s, an abundance of choices in smartphone providers and networks as compared to the Ma Bell monopoly, and more to come.

Hazlett also discusses his views on current FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, how the FCC delayed the arrival of cable television to protect incumbent broadcasters, and "the most infamous statement ever made by an FCC regulator" in a 1981 Q&A with Reason magazine.

Interview by Nick Gillespie. Edited by Justin Monticello. Cameras by Todd Krainin and Mark McDaniel. Music by RW Smith (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsiTBZJc0E).

libertarian
,
reason magazine
,
reason.com
,
reason.tv
,
reasontv
,
nick gillespie
,
thomas hazlett
,
net neutrality
,
fcc
    Thumbnail for Cory Doctorow on Cyber Warfare, Lawbreaking, and His New Novel 'Walkaway'40:37
    Cory Doctorow on Cyber Warfare, Lawbreaking, and His New Novel 'Walkaway'
    ReasonVids
    998 views
    Thumbnail for Sweden's March Towards Capitalism: Economist Andreas Bergh on the "Capitalist Welfare State"9:02
    Sweden's March Towards Capitalism: Economist Andreas Bergh on the "Capitalist Welfare State"
    ReasonVids
    969 views
    Thumbnail for Like a Boss Compilation! Amazing People That Are on Another Level | Viral Monkey16:28
    Like a Boss Compilation! Amazing People That Are on Another Level | Viral Monkey
    invidious
    173 views
    Thumbnail for The Battle for Free Speech on Campus: Greg Lukianoff at the Museum of Sex52:05
    The Battle for Free Speech on Campus: Greg Lukianoff at the Museum of Sex
    ReasonVids
    976 views
    Thumbnail for Former NFL Player Mark Campbell Who Contracted Coronavirus, Gives Credit to Hydroxychloroquine Sulphate for Saving His Life  Meanwhile Liberal Media "Doctors" Scream . .  NO! . . Wait for the Vaccine!!!0:27
    Former NFL Player Mark Campbell Who Contracted Coronavirus, Gives Credit to Hydroxychloroquine Sulphate for Saving His Life Meanwhile Liberal Media "Doctors" Scream . . NO! . . Wait for the Vaccine!!!
    AOU
    2235 views
    Thumbnail for More Deaths Than Ever9:50
    More Deaths Than Ever
    AmericanRenaissance
    877 views
    Thumbnail for Hillary Clinton Is a Brazen Liar (in 30 Seconds)0:30
    Hillary Clinton Is a Brazen Liar (in 30 Seconds)
    ReasonVids
    859 views
    Thumbnail for May I Present to You: Miss Greater Derry0:18
    May I Present to You: Miss Greater Derry
    bestofvoatxyz
    775 views
    Thumbnail for BARK AI! Create EPIC Audio SFX & Music From Text On YOUR PC! | Aitrepreneur19:03
    BARK AI! Create EPIC Audio SFX & Music From Text On YOUR PC! | Aitrepreneur
    invidious
    534 views
    Thumbnail for Reason.tv's Nanny of the Month For January 2010 (Get Angry, Snoop Dogg!)1:06
    Reason.tv's Nanny of the Month For January 2010 (Get Angry, Snoop Dogg!)
    ReasonVids
    882 views
    Thumbnail for here's the full charlie rose interview with (((Larry Silverstein))) about his involvement in Israeli Mossad's 9-11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center towers41:24
    here's the full charlie rose interview with (((Larry Silverstein))) about his involvement in Israeli Mossad's 9-11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center towers
    bestofupgoat
    440 views
    Thumbnail for Out Of Shadows Documentary1:17:37
    Out Of Shadows Documentary
    AOU
    1603 views
    Thumbnail for James Corbett - New World Next Week episode 1469 - Chinese human hybrids19:40
    James Corbett - New World Next Week episode 1469 - Chinese human hybrids
    RaeHskins
    2475 views
    Thumbnail for Niang and Stigers v. Carroll et al Press Conference11:27
    Niang and Stigers v. Carroll et al Press Conference
    IJvids
    867 views
    Thumbnail for Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò Tells About Pope Francis Deep State Plan to Dismantle the Church with the NWO1:44
    Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò Tells About Pope Francis Deep State Plan to Dismantle the Church with the NWO
    bestofupgoat
    106 views
    Thumbnail for Stacey Abrams Could Be the Next Vice President9:23
    Stacey Abrams Could Be the Next Vice President
    AmericanRenaissance
    1480 views
    Thumbnail for U.S. Government to Facebook: 'Americans Don't Like to Be Spied On'0:21
    U.S. Government to Facebook: 'Americans Don't Like to Be Spied On'
    ReasonVids
    880 views
    Thumbnail for Auction Rap1:25
    Auction Rap
    bestofvoatxyz
    743 views
    Thumbnail for How Housing Policy Caused the Financial Crisis5:46
    How Housing Policy Caused the Financial Crisis
    ReasonVids
    867 views
    Thumbnail for Gary Taubes on How Big Government Made Us Fat22:32
    Gary Taubes on How Big Government Made Us Fat
    ReasonVids
    913 views
    Thumbnail for I THIRST | John 19:28 | DAY 5 | Br Prakash Dsouza | LIVE | 15th April 20251:16:20
    I THIRST | John 19:28 | DAY 5 | Br Prakash Dsouza | LIVE | 15th April 2025
    invidious
    64 views
    Thumbnail for D.C. Apartment Building Doubles as Middle Finger to the White House1:36
    D.C. Apartment Building Doubles as Middle Finger to the White House
    ReasonVids
    976 views
    Thumbnail for End-of-Life Doulas Sue for First Amendment Right to Offer Advice and Support9:24
    End-of-Life Doulas Sue for First Amendment Right to Offer Advice and Support
    IJvids
    928 views
    Thumbnail for Don't argue1:32
    Don't argue
    AOUisgay
    480 views

points

Permalink
Reply
libertarian
,
reason magazine
,
reason.com
,
reason.tv
,
reasontv
,
nick gillespie
,
thomas hazlett
,
net neutrality
,
fcc
TOS  •  Add Keywords  •  Donate  •   Analytics  •   DMCA  •   Puzzle