--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: TV broadcasting is owned, in the sense…" description: "\"TV broadcasting is owned, in the sense that governments around the world have asserted power over the airwaves that permeate their territories, decidin..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/907/jonathan-zittrain-12491_airwaves_tv-broadcasting-is-owned-in-the-sense-th_1990310.png" --- # TV broadcasting is owned, in the sense that governments… ![“TV broadcasting is owned, in the sense that governments around the world have asserted power over the airwaves that permeate their territories, deciding who can use what bandwidth and why - and those with licenses then, with exceptions determined by regulators, decide what to broadcast.” quote by Jonathan Zittrain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/907/jonathan-zittrain-12491_airwaves_tv-broadcasting-is-owned-in-the-sense-th_1990310.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/907/jonathan-zittrain-12491_airwaves_tv-broadcasting-is-owned-in-the-sense-th_1990310.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/907/jonathan-zittrain-12491_airwaves_tv-broadcasting-is-owned-in-the-sense-th_1990310.png) > “TV broadcasting is owned, in the sense that governments around the world have asserted power over the airwaves that permeate their territories, deciding who can use what bandwidth and why - and those with licenses then, with exceptions determined by regulators, decide what to broadcast.” [Jonathan Zittrain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-zittrain/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Governments control broadcast frequencies, shaping media access through regulation and licensing. **In simple terms:** Governments control broadcast frequencies via regulation. Key Takeaway Advocate for open, equitable media policies. Themes media control regulation freedom Mood critical thoughtful Type analytical political When to use this quote - broadcasting - internet governance - media planning Key Concepts public policy communication theory Questions to Reflect On - How does regulation affect your media consumption? - What alternatives exist to centralized control? A Different Perspective Regulation can stifle innovation and limit diverse voices. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Airwaves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/airwaves/) [Around](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/around/) [Around the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/around-the-world/) [Broadcast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/broadcast/) [Broadcasting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/broadcasting/) [Broadcasting Owned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/broadcasting-owned-3446770/) [Decide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decide/) [Decide Broadcast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decide-broadcast-3446771/) [Deciding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deciding/) [Determined](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/determined/) [Exceptions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exceptions/) [Governments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/governments/) [Over](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/over/) [Owned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/owned/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Sense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sense/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/) [Territories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/territories/) [Then](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/then/) [Those](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/those/) [Tv](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tv/) [Tv Broadcasting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tv-broadcasting-1818786/) [Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use/) [Who](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/who/) [Why](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/why/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [I don't think I would be very good on TV broadcasting games.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-urlacher/i-don-t-think-i-would-be-very-good-on-tv-broadcasting-games/) [Brian Urlacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-urlacher/) > [During a long career in TV broadcasting, I spent a lot of time contributing to other people's creations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bradley/during-a-long-career-in-tv-broadcasting-i-spent-a-lot-of-time/) [Alan Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bradley/) > [Without books, we might just melt into the airwaves and be just another set of blips.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/without-books-we-might-just-melt-into-the-airwaves-and-be-just/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [Freeform radio is an art form. The airwaves are the empty canvas, the producer is the artist, and the sound is the paint.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-lester/freeform-radio-is-an-art-form-the-airwaves-are-the-empty-canvas-the/) [Julius Lester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-lester/) > [One big, glaring difference I can think of between Iraq and Vietnam is the news coverage. During the Vietnam War era, you had TV…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-boal/one-big-glaring-difference-i-can-think-of-between-iraq-and-vietnam-is/) [Mark Boal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-boal/) > [“airwaves get buzzed from pot By Trevor Hughes,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/airwaves-get-buzzed-from-pot-by-trevor-hughes/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What's wrong with hip-hop is the system that controls the definition of it. There needs to be more balance on the airwaves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-williams/what-s-wrong-with-hip-hop-is-the-system-that-controls-the-definition/) [Saul Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-williams/) > [The radio stations strayed away from the raw hip-hop that they were playing in the early 1990s. We were like, 'All this watered down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dj-premier/the-radio-stations-strayed-away-from-the-raw-hip-hop-that-they-were/) [DJ Premier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dj-premier/) > [The public owns the airwaves; Congress gave them to broadcasters for free, with the understanding that they would serve the public interest while trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reed-hundt/the-public-owns-the-airwaves-congress-gave-them-to-broadcasters-for/) [Reed Hundt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reed-hundt/) > [The Eagles and the Captain and Tennille ruled the airwaves, and we were the answer to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-ramone/the-eagles-and-the-captain-and-tennille-ruled-the-airwaves-and-we/) [Joey Ramone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-ramone/) > [The polemics of right-wing radio are putting nothing less than hate onto the airwaves, into the marketplace, electing it to office, teaching it in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-j-williams/the-polemics-of-right-wing-radio-are-putting-nothing-less-than-hate/) [Patricia J. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-j-williams/) > [When we started Angels & Airwaves, we wanted to produce our art on different mediums, but the film was an ambitious one because we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-delonge/when-we-started-angels-airwaves-we-wanted-to-produce-our-art-on/) [Tom DeLonge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-delonge/) > [Congress has repeatedly passed laws and otherwise raised a ruckus about indecent language on the broadcast airwaves used for radio and television.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reed-hundt/congress-has-repeatedly-passed-laws-and-otherwise-raised-a-ruckus/) [Reed Hundt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reed-hundt/) > [The battle for the airwaves cannot be limited to only those who have the bank accounts to pay for the battle and win it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-cronkite/the-battle-for-the-airwaves-cannot-be-limited-to-only-those-who-have/) [Walter Cronkite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-cronkite/) > [I've come up in the scripted world, and I have wished there were more time slots for us to tell compelling scripted stories and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-macchio/i-ve-come-up-in-the-scripted-world-and-i-have-wished-there-were-more/) [Ralph Macchio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-macchio/) ## More by Jonathan Zittrain > [The Internet is a collective hallucination: one of the best humanity has ever generated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-zittrain/the-internet-is-a-collective-hallucination-one-of-the-best-humanity/) [Jonathan Zittrain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-zittrain/) > [Instead of using new technologies to preserve for ready discovery material that might in the past never have been stored, or deleting everything as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-zittrain/instead-of-using-new-technologies-to-preserve-for-ready-discovery/) [Jonathan Zittrain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-zittrain/) > [How an individual's reputation is protected online is too important and subtle a policy matter to be legislated by a high court, which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-zittrain/how-an-individual-s-reputation-is-protected-online-is-too-important/) [Jonathan Zittrain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-zittrain/) > [Despite outsiders being invited to write software, the iPhone thus remains tightly tethered to its vendor - the way that the Kindle is controlled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-zittrain/despite-outsiders-being-invited-to-write-software-the-iphone-thus/) [Jonathan Zittrain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-zittrain/) > [The Internet's distinct configuration may have made cyberattacks easy to launch, but it has also kindled the flame of freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-zittrain/the-internet-s-distinct-configuration-may-have-made-cyberattacks-easy/) [Jonathan Zittrain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-zittrain/) > [The last refuge of privacy cannot be placed solely in law or technology. It must repose in both, and a thoughtful combination of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-zittrain/the-last-refuge-of-privacy-cannot-be-placed-solely-in-law-or/) [Jonathan Zittrain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-zittrain/) > [Another view is Western companies chartered in societies that believe in this kind of censorship shouldn't be carrying water for societies that do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-zittrain/another-view-is-western-companies-chartered-in-societies-that-believe/) [Jonathan Zittrain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-zittrain/) > [I'm interested in harnessing the good will and distributed power of people, including novices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-zittrain/i-m-interested-in-harnessing-the-good-will-and-distributed-power-of/) [Jonathan Zittrain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-zittrain/) > [The Internet works thanks to loose but trusted connections among its many constituent parts, with easy entry and exit for new Internet service providers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-zittrain/the-internet-works-thanks-to-loose-but-trusted-connections-among-its/) [Jonathan Zittrain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-zittrain/) > [A free Net may depend on some wisely developed and implemented locks and a community ethos that secures the keys to those locks among…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-zittrain/a-free-net-may-depend-on-some-wisely-developed-and-implemented-locks/) [Jonathan Zittrain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-zittrain/) > [All sorts of factors contribute to what Facebook or Twitter present in a feed, or what Google or Bing show us in search results.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-zittrain/all-sorts-of-factors-contribute-to-what-facebook-or-twitter-present/) [Jonathan Zittrain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-zittrain/) > [I think social networking is absolutely here to stay. Now, whether or not the label will Facebook forever, depends in part, I think, on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-zittrain/i-think-social-networking-is-absolutely-here-to-stay-now-whether-or/) [Jonathan Zittrain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-zittrain/) > [Content zips around the Internet thanks to code - programming code. And code is subject to intellectual property laws.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-zittrain/content-zips-around-the-internet-thanks-to-code-programming-code-and/) [Jonathan Zittrain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-zittrain/) > [Facebook draws from the public and public-interest sphere, a simultaneously bold and modest step towards acknowledging that our new networked technologies deeply affect our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-zittrain/facebook-draws-from-the-public-and-public-interest-sphere-a/) [Jonathan Zittrain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-zittrain/) > [There are some conversations that are undeniably improved when the rule going in is that you have to stand behind what you say and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-zittrain/there-are-some-conversations-that-are-undeniably-improved-when-the/) [Jonathan Zittrain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-zittrain/) [Explore all 54 Jonathan Zittrain quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-zittrain/) ## More Airwaves quotes > [I've come up in the scripted world, and I have wished there were more time slots for us to tell compelling scripted stories and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-macchio/i-ve-come-up-in-the-scripted-world-and-i-have-wished-there-were-more/) [Ralph Macchio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-macchio/) > [The battle for the airwaves cannot be limited to only those who have the bank accounts to pay for the battle and win it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-cronkite/the-battle-for-the-airwaves-cannot-be-limited-to-only-those-who-have/) [Walter Cronkite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-cronkite/) > [Congress has repeatedly passed laws and otherwise raised a ruckus about indecent language on the broadcast airwaves used for radio and television.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reed-hundt/congress-has-repeatedly-passed-laws-and-otherwise-raised-a-ruckus/) [Reed Hundt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reed-hundt/) > [When we started Angels & Airwaves, we wanted to produce our art on different mediums, but the film was an ambitious one because we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-delonge/when-we-started-angels-airwaves-we-wanted-to-produce-our-art-on/) [Tom DeLonge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-delonge/) > [The polemics of right-wing radio are putting nothing less than hate onto the airwaves, into the marketplace, electing it to office, teaching it in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-j-williams/the-polemics-of-right-wing-radio-are-putting-nothing-less-than-hate/) [Patricia J. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-j-williams/) > [The Eagles and the Captain and Tennille ruled the airwaves, and we were the answer to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-ramone/the-eagles-and-the-captain-and-tennille-ruled-the-airwaves-and-we/) [Joey Ramone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-ramone/) > [The public owns the airwaves; Congress gave them to broadcasters for free, with the understanding that they would serve the public interest while trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reed-hundt/the-public-owns-the-airwaves-congress-gave-them-to-broadcasters-for/) [Reed Hundt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reed-hundt/) > [The radio stations strayed away from the raw hip-hop that they were playing in the early 1990s. We were like, 'All this watered down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dj-premier/the-radio-stations-strayed-away-from-the-raw-hip-hop-that-they-were/) [DJ Premier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dj-premier/) > [What's wrong with hip-hop is the system that controls the definition of it. There needs to be more balance on the airwaves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-williams/what-s-wrong-with-hip-hop-is-the-system-that-controls-the-definition/) [Saul Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-williams/) > [“airwaves get buzzed from pot By Trevor Hughes,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/airwaves-get-buzzed-from-pot-by-trevor-hughes/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [One big, glaring difference I can think of between Iraq and Vietnam is the news coverage. During the Vietnam War era, you had TV…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-boal/one-big-glaring-difference-i-can-think-of-between-iraq-and-vietnam-is/) [Mark Boal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-boal/) > [Freeform radio is an art form. The airwaves are the empty canvas, the producer is the artist, and the sound is the paint.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-lester/freeform-radio-is-an-art-form-the-airwaves-are-the-empty-canvas-the/) [Julius Lester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-lester/) > [Without books, we might just melt into the airwaves and be just another set of blips.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/without-books-we-might-just-melt-into-the-airwaves-and-be-just/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [The airwaves should belong to the people. If a TV signal comes trespassing onto my property, I should be free to do any damn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-airwaves-should-belong-to-the-people-if-a-tv-signal-comes/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The right wing has monopolized the AM radio airwaves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/the-right-wing-has-monopolized-the-am-radio-airwaves/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) [Browse all 24 Airwaves quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/airwaves/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "TV broadcasting is owned, in the sense that governments around the world have asserted power over the airwaves that permeate their territories, deciding who can use what bandwidth and why - and those with licenses then, with exceptions determined by regulators, decide what to broadcast.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jonathan Zittrain" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-zittrain/tv-broadcasting-is-owned-in-the-sense-that-governments-around-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Airwaves" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-zittrain/tv-broadcasting-is-owned-in-the-sense-that-governments-around-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/907/jonathan-zittrain-12491_airwaves_tv-broadcasting-is-owned-in-the-sense-th_1990310.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/907/jonathan-zittrain-12491_airwaves_tv-broadcasting-is-owned-in-the-sense-th_1990310.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/907/jonathan-zittrain-12491_airwaves_tv-broadcasting-is-owned-in-the-sense-th_1990310.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“TV broadcasting is owned, in the sense that governments around the world have asserted power over the…” — Jonathan Zittrain", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Jonathan Zittrain", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-zittrain/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "TV broadcasting is owned, in the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-zittrain/tv-broadcasting-is-owned-in-the-sense-that-governments-around-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-zittrain/tv-broadcasting-is-owned-in-the-sense-that-governments-around-the/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```