On Sep 8, 7:57 pm, "David Eduardo" wrote:
"Telamon" wrote in message

...





In article ,
"David Eduardo" wrote:

"Telamon" wrote in message
...

There was no test at all. Never took a driver's test, either. A
properly
processed application for either required no test.

You have stated this several times and it does not pass the smell test.
Why would any country issue a license to broadcast or transmit without
a
proficiency test. The same goes for driving.

You don't get it, do you? The alternative to taking a driving test was to
make a gift of money to the appropriate person. It was SOP to put a S/.50
bill inside the license "brevet" which would be extracted as "fine
payment"
if stopped; the alternative would be to have one's car impounded.

As to ham licenses, believe it or not, but some countries think that ham
operation is just like CB operation. The license is given to whoever
wants
one.

I have never done business in central or south America other than take
vacations there so no I don't get it. The car driver license is a safety
issue and the communications license can be a national security issue
that you would think the governments would want to keep under control. I
can't see them just handing them out for payola.

I'd remind you, in the radio context, that General Tire lost some licenses
and had to sell all the others for the RKO radio and TV operations they
owned because they were convicted of doing business in Argentina, Libya and
several other nations on the basis of payoffs to officials. The defense that
"business is only done that way" did not help, as it is in contradiction to
American law... but it illustrates that not much of anything went on in the
60's or 70's in much of the third world without baksheesh.

To a government official in Ecuador making $60 a month, getting $50 for each
expedited driver license is the basis for surviving. Police could not live
without the "tips" that caused a speedy resolution of traffic violations.

Things are not seen from such an altruistic point of view as you expect.
Fees to the government are for revenue, not safety or security. "Tips" to
employees were an expected token of appreciation and to the contrary,
paperwork sat for eons on official's desks. Since there was little payment
of income tax, the government got revenue from import taxes and "stamps" on
every document, from a marriage license to a new telephone line order. Once
the government got those fees, there was not much concern for how the
employees might benefit as well..

As to ham licenses, we are talking about a country where, when I asked for
the first commercial FM licenses, I was told that there was no system to
grant same... but that such a system could be created were I to desire.
Worry about ham licenses was non-existent and ham radio considered a quirk
of the wealthy for which they should pay, not pass a test. Radio stations
were never inspected; I operated HCFV1, licensed to 805 kHz, on 810 for half
a decade (to avoid hetting with TWR in Bonaire) and nobody in the government
noticed. Had they noticed, a change would have been granted cheerfully for a
modest fee.

Ecuadorian travelers, who usually left with empty suitcases one inside
another like Russian nesting dolls, returned with thousands of dollars in
clothing, toys, gifts, appliances and such. Usually, a few S/.100 bills were
placed on the top of the contents inside each bag. Once the bills were
harvested, the returning passenger was cleared in customs.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Good grief. This one was just pathetic, like something out of an old B-
grade movie. Surely you can do better than that.