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Participatory Democracy and the Radio Spectrum in Canada and Uruguay

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Participatory Democracy and the Radio Spectrum in Canada and Uruguay -l UNIVERSITÉ DU QUÉBEC À MONTRÉAL LIFE-MEDIA FOR A WIRELESS WORLD: PARTICIPATORY DEMOCRACY AND THE RADIO SPECTRUM IN CANADA AND URUGUAY THÈSE PRÉSENTÉE COMME EXIGENCE PARTIELLE DU DOCTORAT EN COMMUNICATION PAR EVAN LIGHT NOVEMBRE 2012 UNIVERSITÉ DU QUÉBEC À MONTRÉAL Service des bibliothèques Avertissement La diffusion de cette thèse se fait dans le respect des droits de son auteur, qui a signé le formulaire Autorisation de reproduire et de diffuser un travail de recherche de cycles supérieurs (SOU-522- Rév.01-2006). Cette autorisation stipule que «conformément à l'article 11 du Règlement no 8 des études de cycles supérieurs, [l'auteur] concède à l'Université du Québec à Montréal une licence non exclusive d'utilisation et de publication de la totalité ou d'une partie importante de [son] travail de recherche pour des fins pédagogiques et non commerciales. Plus précisément, [l'auteur] autorise l'Université du Québec à Montréal à reproduire, diffuser, prêter, distribuer ou vendre des copies de [son] travail de recherche à des fins non commerciales sur quelque support que ce soit, y compris l'lntern~t. Cette licence et cette autorisation n'entraînent pas une renonciation de [la] part [de l'auteur] à [ses] droits moraux ni à [ses] droits de propriété intellectuelle. Sauf entente contraire, [l'auteur] conserve la liberté de diffuser et de commercialiser ou non ce travail dont [il] possède un exemplaire.» - - --- - - - - - - - ---- - - - - - ---- UNIVERSITÉ DU QUÉBEC À MONTRÉAL MÉDIAS DE VIE POUR LTN MONDE SANS-FILS: LA DÉMOCRATIE PARTICIPATIVE ET LE SPECTRE RADIOÉLECTRIQUE AU CANADA ET EN URUGUAY THÈSE PRÉSENTÉE COMME EXIGENCE PARTIELLE DU DOCTORAT EN COMMUNICATION PAR EVANLIGHT NOVEMBRE 2012 REMERCIEMENTS While many people have helped me through this five-year journey, 1 must begin with a thank you to my wife Joanne who moved across the country and in with me the day before 1 started this crazy affair. You 've given me incredible and endless support whi te helping me stay grounded. My parents, Jeff and Adria Light, have always had confidence in me to dig myself out of whatever hole I've gotten myself into. Thanks for seeing me through to the end of this one! George Berci and Jo-Ann Craft offered me creative refuge at their wonderful Athestan farm, a place to raise cows and potatoes while dreaming up the first half of this tome. 1 never would have made it this far without your wisdom, kindness and support. Carmen Rico and Darin Barney have been a fantastic duo of thesis advisers, giving me the independence 1 need to dream and thrive while providing me with the resources and direction to help me make sense of it ali. Un gros merci to everybody in Montréal who has given me input and perspective: Lise Renaud (for the amazing office), Antonin Serpereau, Shirley Roburn, Cecelia Chen, Arne Hintz, Oumar Kane, Jeremy Shtern, Éric George, Michel Sénécal, Nathalie Casemajor, George Agetees, Robyn Fadden, Richard, Charlotte & Emmett. Un abrazo grande to ali my friends and colleagues in Uruguay who helped make this possible: Bruce Girard, Amy Mahan (who sadly passed away during the 2"d year of this project), Gabriel Kaplun and everybody at the Programa de Desarrollo Académico de la Informaci6n y la Comunicaci6n - Universidad de la Republica del Uruguay, Juan y Juliana, Carolina, Ito y los Pepes, Rosina y Atilio. This research was made possible thanks to the generous funding of the Fonds québecois de recherche sur la sociéte et la culture (FQRSC), the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the Faculté de communication, UQAM. TABLE OF CONTENTS Abbreviations and acronyms ......... ................... ... ....... .............. ............... ......... ..... .. .. viii Tables and figures ... .. ................. .... ............................ ... ..... ... ......................... .. ... ....... .. ix Résume et mots clés .......................................... .. ... .... ... .... .. ..... .. ... .... .. ............... .. ......... x Abstract and keywords .... ....... ............. ...... .................... ........... ............................... ... .. xi Preface .... ....... ........ .... ... ... .... ... ........ ..... .. .. ..... .................. .... ................................. ........ 1 Chapter 1: Spectrum stakes ............. .. ................ ... ............ ... ... ........ ................................ 4 1.1 Spectrum stakes .............. ........ ........................................ ..... .................................. 4 1.1.1 What is th e spectrum? ............ .. ............................................... .. .............. ... .. .. ... .4 1.1.2 The eternal age of the natural spectrum ............ ... .. ..... .. ... ............. .. .... ... .......... 6 1.1 .3 The age of explorati on .. ... ..... ........................... ... ...... ........................................ 7 1.1.4 The first age of spectrum enclosure .............. .............. .......................... .. .. ..... ... 9 1.1.5 The age of regul ation ... .............................................................. .... ... .... .... .... .. 12 1.1.6 The early age of spectrum propertization .......... ... ... ....................................... 16 1.1 .7 The untethering .............. .... ... ..................... ... ... .... ............ ............................... 22 1.2 The new commons era ............ .................. ... .... ..... .... ... ........ ................................ 31 1.3 The opportunity of convergence ................... .... .............. ... ................... ..... .. ....... 44 1.4 Breaking from old habits: the tool of water... .......... ... ........... .... ..... ............. .. .... 50 1.4.1 Water ... .. .. ......... .... ........................ .. ....... ... ... ...... ............... ........... .. ..... .. ..... ...... 51 Chapter 2: Theoretical Foundations .. .. .......... .... ........... ... ..... .. ... .. ... ....... ................... ... 55 2.1 Evolving Political Economy.... .............. ....... ... .... .......................... .. .................... 55 2.1.1 The Structures that Dominate ........... ... ... ........... ...... .. .... .............................. ... 58 2.1.2 Self-perpetuation and the control of value creation ................................... ~·· · 70 2.1.3 Is uncontrolled communication a subversive act? .......................................... 73 2.1.4 Political economy as a tool for social change .. .. .. .. ................................... ...... 84 2.2 Advancing spectral visions 1 integrating spectral poli tics ......... ......................... 85 2.2.1 Ether... .. .......... ................... ..... ..... ... ........... .......... .... ...... .. .. ............................. 87 2.2.2 Scarcity ....... ... ...... ....... .. ... ... .. ... ... ........ .. ..... ... .. ......... ... ... ............. .. ..... .. .. ........ 87 2.2.3 Land and location ....... .... .... .... .......................................... ........... .. ......... ...... 89 2.2.4 Life-media .................................... ........... ............ .. .. .... ..... ...... ...... ................... 91 2.2.5 Sustainable spectrum ........................................... .. ......... .... .. .. .. .... .. ... ..... ....... 101 Chapter 3: Methodology ...... .. .............. ... ............................................................ ........ 103 3.1 Justification of sites .... .......... .. ..... ...... .... ........... .... .......... ............................... .... 104 3.2 Research questions and analytical grid ..................... .......... ... .. .......... .. ..... .... .. ... 110 3.3 Passive structural analysis .. .. .................. ..... ............ ......... ..... ...... ..... ...... .. ... ...... 112 3.4 Active structural analysis .... ... ............ ...... .... .. ... .... .... ................. ..... ................... 113 3.5 Discursive analysis ......................... .. .... .. ... ............ .. .. .. ..... ......... .. ...................... 114 3.6 Data and its sources .... ........... ... ..... .. .. ................. .............. .. .... ...... .. ................... 115 3.7 Inverse international development research ... .................................................. 118 3.8 Limitations of my methods .. ................ .. ..... ... .................. .. ....... ... .. ........... .. ....... 119 Chapter 4: Case Study: Canada ........................ .. .. ........ .. ... ...... ... ..... ... .... ................... 122 4.1 The state of the spectrum in Canada .... ... ... ... ............. ... .. .............. .. .... ..... ......... 122 4.1.1 Orientation ............................................ .. ................... ... ... ... ...... .. .. .. .. .. ... ....... 125 4.1.2 Wireless spectrum .. ........... ............. ........................ ..... ... ............ .. .... ... ... ... .. 126 4.1.3 Attribution of li cense through simple application and payment... ................ 127 4.1.4 Auctioned spectrum ............... .. ........ .... ... .... .... ... .. ........... ...... .. ................ .. ... 128 4.1.5 Owning the spectrum ................. .. ... ... ........................................................ .. 129 4.1.6 Radio and television broadcasting .. ... .. .... .. ................. ... .. ............................ 131 4.1.7 Convergence on the horizon ... .. .. ................. .. ........... .................................... .134 ----------- --------
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