FCC Should Stick to Regulating Airwaves
There is something almost humorous about the Federal Communications Commission sending out a letter to the big-box retailers last week urging the stores to start selling government-issue digital converter boxes.
FCC Chairman Kevin Martin is concerned that the government only makes EchoStar’s $40 box available for purchase either online or by telephone. And that bureaucratic set-up adds $12 to the purchase price for shipping and handling—which means the $40 government voucher comes up a bit short.
Martin’s solution is to urge mass retailers to sell EchoStar boxes at the $40 price the government set.
Sorry, Mr. Martin. The market sets prices, not the government. And if the feds simply got out of the way in the first place, stores like Best Buy, Circuit City, Radio Shack and Wal-Mart would already be competing with each other to offer a variety of converter boxes at low prices.
After trying to lock retailers out of the game, it’s a little unsporting to urge retailers to play along in the fourth quarter.
—James G. Lakely, Chicago