Is it time to abolish the FCC as yet another useless government agency?

It seems to be the year of demise for government agencies. First, the FDA blows it on prescription drugs, then the FCC angers free market advocates. Just wait until the American public learns about the USDA and its mad cow disease cover-up. When that finally airs, there will be calls for dismantling that agency as well.

• Over the past year, a new media meme has begun to take root: Congress and the Bush administration should abolish the Federal Communications Commission.
• For some, the last straw was the FCC's post-Nipplegate mission to aggressively police the airwaves, with the FCC proposing more fines for broadcast indecency in 2004 than in the previous 10 years combined, according to The Center for Public Integrity.
• This newfound moralizing was prompted by U2's Bono uttering the F-word on the 2003 Golden Globe Awards and Janet Jackson's breast-baring performance during last year's Super Bowl halftime show -- the most TiVo-ed event in history.
• All of this paved the way for record fines against CBS ($550,000 for the Super Bowl) and corporate radio conglomerate Clear Channel Communications ($755,000 for graphic sex talk on Bubba the Love Sponge and $1.75 million more for Howard Stern.)
• It also sent a chill through the broadcast industry when two dozen TV stations refused to air an uncut version of Saving Private Ryan on Veterans Day for fear agency nobs would find some dialogue indecent, even though the film ran in 2001 and 2002 without a peep from the FCC.
• Others are concerned the agency will bring its censorious ways to cable and satellite TV, as well as satellite radio and even the internet.
• Under the guise of protecting children, a bill sponsored by Louisiana Sen.
• John Breaux has been circulating in Congress to expand the FCC's responsibilities to encompass some cable TV programming.
• In a December interview, he explained, "When something happens that (the FCC) doesn't understand, kill it.
• When (MCI founder) Bill McGowan starting stringing out microwave towers that threatened AT&T, the FCC tried to stop him.