Sounds like a good reason to hand out FCC licenses like candy, once they’ve got this perfected and commercially available.“This novel radio technique allows the implementation of, in principle, an infinite number of channels in a given, fixed bandwidth.”
How about, every smartphone use gets an FCC license to transmit audio and video on a unique frequency/angle, kicked up to a nationwide network of cellular re-transmitters, with all the other smartphones having the capacity to pick up each other’s broadcasts? Goodbye media stranglehold. Just follow what stations you like, just like twitter.
Perfectly logical. But FCC regulation was always about maximizing the value of spectrum by keeping channel licenses scarce. There was obviously some rationale for their actions, of course - but they did not want every Tom, Dick, and Harry to have a broadcast channel.I mean, what exactly has prevented you from being able to broadcast with your cell phone? Nothing, except laws against receiving your transmission which, implemented on everyone else’s cell phone, prevent all but one receiver from getting your signal. Laws which were violated by that couple (IIRC, the Martins?) in Florida, who were "just minding their own business" and Shazam! they picked up and recorded a conversation between Newt Gingrich and another Republican Congressman discussing strategy.
Of course, if everything is important then nothing is important - if everyone is broadcasting, then it’s hard to stand out and get an audience. Nobody can be interesting all the time, and some of us are hard put to be interesting at any time.
This same principle is exactly what the "publishing" industry will be faced with in just a few years. The book printing and retail business is disappearing before our eyes. Soon, all books will be essentially self-published.
Many good authors who have been unable to past the self-appointed publisher gatekeepers will be available. So also will infinitely greater numbers of writers of drek, who those gatekeepers also kept off the market.
I expect some sort of market or rating based system to emerge whereby people will be able to effectively find stuff they want to read in the vastly expanded universe of that is available.
I would expect something similar for video, music, etc.