Too Much Free Time

Too Much Free Time

by Mike Masnick


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Did Paris Hilton, Donald Trump, Joseph Stalin, Leon Trotsky And Jesus All File Complaints With The FCC?

from the maybe-not dept

We've recently seen how the NAB apparently faked complaints to the FCC about the XM-Sirius merger when the actual people had no idea what the merger was even about. So, it should come as no surprise that it's pretty easy to file a statement with the FCC that appears to come from someone else... perhaps someone famous... or someone who's dead. Matthew Lasar writes in with a bit of a time waster, noting some of the more amusing "faux celebrity" filings with the FCC, from Donald Trump ("Here, hold my hairpiece for a minute while I take this call from California -- what? You think cell phones should be regulated somehow? Disclosure? Costs? You crazy? Hell, I'll NEVER allow California to do any such thing! . . . YOU'RE FIRED!") to Leon Trotsky ("I'm a dead Communist, but I don't want to pay more for my telephone service!") to Joseph Stalin ("Net Neutrality is essential to free speech, equal opportunity and economic innovation in America.") to George W. Bush ("This is the President of the United States Bitch!") to a variety of different Jesuses (some using more colorful language than others) to Paris Hilton ("I don't want the same company that owns my TV station or my radio station to also own my newspaper I would just get the same news all over again."). While it's all rather amusing, it does point out how silly it is for the FCC to take some of these filings seriously. Too many of them are simply generated by lobbying campaigns, rather than real people.

12 Comments | Leave a Comment..

 

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  1. Actually...

    by Michael - Dec 12th, 2007 @ 7:08am

    The plural of Jesus is Jesi (pronounced geez-eye). Can't believe the FCC would ever take these seriously.

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

  2. hmm...

    by dualboot - Dec 12th, 2007 @ 7:20am

    I'm confused. Maybe my brain is just fried after a few rough days... but I'm not sure what this article is really about. Is the wording in parenthesis the actual statement someone filed with the FCC?

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

  3. by Anonymous Coward - Dec 12th, 2007 @ 7:20am

    Of course they take these things seriously, but only those that support their preconceived opinions

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

  4. All Americans should be heard...

    by Abe Lincoln - Dec 12th, 2007 @ 7:26am

    All Americans should have a voice. Whether they be dead or alive or hiding in France. I am appallled that someone would imply that Paris Hilton doesn't care who owns her TV station. Of couse she does, perferably a friend.

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

  5. Re: All Americans should be heard...

    by Abraham Lincoln - Dec 12th, 2007 @ 7:34am

    You sir are a Fraud. I am the real Abe Lincoln, and I know for a fact that Paris doesn't watch TV. I hope that the FCC has enought brains to not put any stock in Joe Stalins views, all he wants to do is watch Hogan's Heroes re-runs.

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

  6. Q&D

    by Mike C. - Dec 12th, 2007 @ 7:51am

    The multiple submissions from Jesus remind me of "Industrial Disease" from Dire Straits: "Two men say they're Jesus, one of them MUST be wrong"

    That and....

    "I'm Spartacus!"

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

  7. Re: Actually...

    by Gunnar - Dec 12th, 2007 @ 8:11am

    No, it's Jesuses. You never change a name to pluralize it.

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

  8. Re #7 regards to #1

    by Killer_Tofu - Dec 12th, 2007 @ 8:58am

    Unless you are using Jesus as an adjective to describe a type of person =P
    I think geez-eye (Jesi) works better.
    Sounds more cool than Jesuses at least.
    The the Jesi lobby away!

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

  9. Err

    by Killer_Tofu - Dec 12th, 2007 @ 8:59am

    Err, not adjective, but class of people, like Americans from USA type deal stuff.
    I hated english class ...

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

  10. Huh?

    by KG - Dec 12th, 2007 @ 11:02am

    This article is a waste of time, why give it any publicity at all??? Do you people not understand that the government does what it wants no matter what you say?? Replace this waste of time with a real article please.

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

  11. wow, shocking.

    by chris - Dec 12th, 2007 @ 11:25am

    people don't use their real names when they post things. i'm shocked.

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

  12. by The Colonel - Dec 12th, 2007 @ 12:54pm

    Mmmm chicken.

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

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