Pricing the Waves

Today in the NYT Ralph Nader called for the broadcasting companies to be charged for their use of the public airwaves. I applaud Mr. Nader's interest in establishing a pricing mechanism for the use of a scarce resource. But this is not the same as a price. Prices emerge out of market interaction, not political processes. If Mr. Nader really wanted broadcasters to pay for their airwaves, why not sell it to them--or whoever will pay--outright? That way we can eliminate the existing regulation that's used to govern this current public good while at the same time making people pay for what they use.