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What is the meaning of the term Airwaves in the following headline in Newyork Times today.
" Congress will auction public airwaves to pay for benefits"
Furthermore, how it will be beneficial for the internet users.
Thanks.
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What is the meaning of the term Airwaves in the following headline in Newyork Times today.
" Congress will auction public airwaves to pay for benefits"
Furthermore, how it will be beneficial for the internet users.
airwaves: refers to the media of radio and television broadcasting.
According to the article, the result "eventually will be faster connections for smartphones, iPads and other data-hungry mobile devices. Their explosive popularity has overwhelmed the ability, particularly in big cities, for systems to quickly download maps, video games and movies."
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More specifically, airwaves refers to frequencies used by radio, television, cell phones, etc.
Groups of frequencies have been allotted or assigned by the Government but there are also groups of frequencies that have not been assigned. It is these that will likely be the ones auctioned off to raise money.
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What is the meaning of the term Airwaves in the following headline in Newyork Times today.
" Congress will auction public airwaves to pay for benefits"
Furthermore, how it will be beneficial for the internet users.
Hello Dubai,
I don't have any idea what the 'benefits' of such an auction would be, but your question about the term 'airwaves', I think, refers to the selling of specific frequencies that radio and television can be transmitted upon. Ownership of these frequencies are much sought after and, I imagine though I'm not in that financial class, can be a very lucrative investment.
Be yourself; everyone else is already taken. -Oscar Wilde
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Dubai wrote:What is the meaning of the term Airwaves in the following headline in Newyork Times today.
" Congress will auction public airwaves to pay for benefits"
Furthermore, how it will be beneficial for the internet users.
Thanks. Hi Dubai, FounDit answered the first part of your question. Whenever "airwaves" is used in reference to TV, radio or telephone, the real reference is to the part of the electromagnetic spectrum (that part usually known as radio waves) which is used to carry radio, TV, or phone signals. If too many signals are crowded onto frequencies which are too close together, i.e. the frequencies are close, then there is a lot of interference and no one has a clear signal. Did you read the article or did you just read a headline? The article was quite clear that money from the sale of the airways will be used to extend our current payroll tax cut and provide unemployment benefits for a longer period of time, thus covering people who have been out of work long-term during the current U.S. economic troubles. Moneys from the "sale" of airwaves (sale of the right to use a certain frequency) go to the federal government and are used for various purposes, as are other moneys accruing to the feds. This article explains what it is Congress has designated as the use for these funds. Portions of these monies may be used for other purposes; I don't know. The reason this is being reported is because there has been a lot of concern on the part of some about how we would pay for these two, particular benefits.
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The meaning of the Airwaves have been explained already. Why are they called "public" here?
Some channels or "lanes" of the radio waves spectrum, or frequencies, are reserved for authoritative use (Army, Police, Rescue...)
If some of these channels can be freed for public use, government will get all the benefit by selling the rights to use those frequencies.
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