So the system we have in radio and television today is the direct result of government policies that have been made in our name, in the name of the people, on our behalf, but without our informed consent.

Even if someone wanted a purely free-market, competitive media system, it would require extensive government regulation to set up those markets. All our largest media companies are based on the grant of explicit government monopoly privileges and licenses, or franchises, or subsidies. The government didn't come in after the system was in place, it built the system in the first place.

And they've got to be held accountable; our broadcasting system has to be made accountable; and unless it is, it's going to be very hard to change anything else for the better in this country.

In the United States, both the upper levels of the Republican and Democratic Parties are in the pay of the corporate media and communication giants.

When the government allocates monopoly rights to frequency, and there are only a handful in each community, it's picking the winners in the competition.

As the mainstream media has become increasingly dependent on advertising revenues for support, it has become an anti-democratic force in society.

So the competition isn't once you got the license, running the station; it's getting the license.