I agree with you completely jta - provided that you're talking about a traditional format bandplan - as has already been tried as you refer to. What I'd like to see - just tweaking a reverie here - is an experimental de-regulated band receivable by the general public. Fat chance that will ever happen (outside of possibly the Dutch experiment) but if it does, it will fill with electromagnetic feces unless the moneyed interests are barred from monetizing it in any fashion - whether selling airtime, or hawking transactional opportunities, or expanding the footprint of an established moneyed broadcasting operation, or, or, or...

If it is truly deregulated then stations won't need to "survive". Like radio amateurs, they won't need to turn a profit to keep their transmitters running because they aren't saddled with expensive "requirements" in order to operate. Yeah, I know - never will happen... :(

Radio NUT from the upstate region of New York - "The Vampire State"