http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2007/05/canadian_native.html
"Mobile phone calls in Canada may get a little more expensive if a
native tribe there is successful with plans to levy a fee on every
phone call that passes through its airspace. Manitoba First Nations is
negotiating with Manitoba Telecom Service to take a cut of every call
that passes over tribal land or water."
In my humble opinion, this is ridiculous. Will they next demand a cut
from satellite radio? Will they demand a cut of advertising revenue
from radio and TV stations? Will amateur radio operators have to pay
for a special license if their signals pass through First Nations
airspace? What about airplanes that fly overhead?
John Mayson <john@mayson.us>
Austin, Texas, USA
[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: It is equally ridiculous for the
various carriers to claim some sort of 'privacy in communications'
rationale, and attempt to punish those persons who intercept or
monitor or otherwise tamper with the carriers' signal, yet they
(carriers) attempt to do that here in USA. Consider 'pay television'
here in the United States. The carriers of same keep insisting that
no one has a right to intercept their radio signals without the proper
payment of their fee for service.
On the other hand, some radio pirates insist upon their right to
examine any/all particles entering upon their land, electronic or
otherwise. A good illustration of this would be those persons who
_routinely_ monitor radio-telephone communications and challenge the
FCC to make them stop doing so. Their rationale seems to be 'if it is
on my property I have the right to inspect it. If you do not like
that, then build an impenetrable 'wall' around my property, forcing
your radio signal to travel in some other direction, or possibly not
travel at all past that point.' If it (radio signal) penetrates my
property then I have the right to charge a 'transit fee' for same. Are
radio waves suppoedly inviolate? I think not; since there are many
theatres, restaurants, other public places in the USA which use
'mesh-like' devices to specifically neutralize or diminish radio
transmissions. You might feel that radio waves have the right to do
their own thing, or travel at will, wherever. Obviously not everyone
would agree with that. PAT]
John Mayson (john@mayson.us)