TELEVISION ANTENNAS AND BUGGY WHIPS

This antenna is slated to go the way of the buggy whip and I, for one, lament its passing. When commercial and government interests join hands to keep signals from delivering freely through the air and stop them in a box or cable before they reach the receiver, I'm not convinced its in my best interest.
In Calaveras County we were promised that cable would be competitive and keep prices low. I've seen cable prices go up, up and up with the same cable company delivering cheaper prices in Oakland, for instance, with more choices, than in my community. The cable companies have bought into satellite networks making competition pretty nil.
How does this affect us when we travel? In Spain, can I get CNN? Or is it controlled? No more American television in Italy unless U.S. interests place what they want seen there? Hmmm! Its a sorry fact of life that most U.S. Citizens no longer trust their government.
What about Public Television, the most revered broadcasting program available according to surveys. Will we have to pay a premium to see PBS down the line?
The companies that make antennas apparently don't have a strong enough lobby to complain about the government shutting down THEIR businesses.
Maybe what we need to do more than anything else, is protect radio signals with all our might before they enclose them in a cable box and feed us what they want us to hear as well. I particularly dislike the Communications Commission attitude toward the people's right to the airwaves. After all, our airwaves, like free speech, water, and oxygen should not be sold to the highest bidder. Other countries have control of their channels and they dedicate one or more as an election channel so elections are not so expensive. Our government could do the same but doesn't. And, God knows, we need cheaper electioneering. I guess this is a rant.