Today's Quote

The Federal Communications Commission ruled that Mobile Satellite Ventures, a tiny telecommunications company offering service on bulky satellite phones, can use the license for its slice of the airwaves, known as spectrum, for more than just satellite service. MSV can use it for cellular calling as well, or to provide other services such as wireless access to the Internet. Critics say something is wrong with this picture. "The FCC's giveaway… to satellite providers like MSV was an outrage," charges J.H. Snider, a director of research for the New America Foundation, a Washington think tank. "It was like the federal government leasing mining rights to federal lands and later throwing in oil rights for free."