trees and waves

[Cross-posted to Mises.org/blog.]

September 28, 2004

Radio Free Rothbard

B.K. Marcus

What do Charles Tomlinson's article, "The Myth of the Tree Shortage" and Christopher Westley's blog thread, "Digital TV is a Civil Right" have in common?

Both timber and radio spectrum are scarce resources that have been managed by government ownership and "private" licensing. In both cases, government management has led to misallocation, poor use, and lack of conservation. Tomlinson details how private property rights lead to better conservation while pursuing greater profit. Radio, on the other hand, has always belonged to "the people" ... or has it?

First, to understand profit and conservation, listen to Murray Rothbard's lectures from the 1970s:

• Capital, Interest, and Profit (54:23)
• Conservation and Property Rights (54:35)

You may notice in the second lecture that Rothbard briefly touches on this history of American radio and the FCC.

For more on that history, keep reading ...