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Chapter 8 Of Blown To Bits

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The Telecommunications Act of 1934 which makes it illegal for people to call without disclosing their identity with an intent to harass was new to me. I was never told this, though it has been put in law for over 80 years. This makes me more confident the next time I pick up my phone.

3. Describe at least one connection between the reading and topics from outside class (other classes, news stories you’ve seen, etc.)?

Just a while ago, Snapchat has been sued by a 14 year old boy and his mother because Snapchat routinely showed sexual content without any warning. Though the terms and agreements state that you must be at least 13 to use the app, the content on snapchat can be highly explicit. Many parents are unaware of this and are currently…show more content…
In chapter 8 of Blown to Bits, the authors explain the history and the regulation of radio and TV broadcasts. When the radio came out, the radio was being used simultaneously by many in the same geographic area and because of this, the signals could not be kept apart. For this reason, the radio act was installed where it limited broadcasting to only those who had a license. The authors stated that when HD was created, more radio stations could be opened because the frequencies could be placed closer and the broadcast would not be interfered.

Unfortunately, the author states, the FCC or Federal Communications Commission gained authority of what is said on TV or radio, which also spread to satellite and cable, when the United States did not have a large amount of ways for their citizens to gain information about what was going around domestically and internationally. Because the government was able to gain control of what was said on TV and radio, the government could not keep up with the pace of the change of technology. The authors express that the government should drop back to watching newspapers and books and instead let congress create laws which would be better…show more content…
The history of the radio and its future was all unusually new to me even though I took physics. The chapter made me think a bit more about which waves are around me, the radio stations, and other ways we could put them into different systems and finally, how all of this can be put together into bits.

3. Describe at least one connection between the reading and topics from outside class (other classes, news stories you’ve seen, etc.)?

Radio has not been the only technology that has been slowed down because of the government, many different technologies such as internet has not reached its full potential. Not only is it regulated by the government, but there are only a couple of internet service providers. Fortunately, Google has created its own internet, Google Fiber, but it is not in every location so many are stuck with their service providers and the bundle deal ( phone, internet, and TV).

4. Give at least one specific example of an aspect or experience in your personal life that is related to the reading.

When I was younger, I went on trips to Florida. I always wondered why the radio would stop working in some places and how radio stations could sometimes collide with each other. This chapter explained why collisions of waves occurred and why the radio strength would decrease the farther out you
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