Broadcast TV stations need to jump ahead - not die!

Why aren't broadcast TV stations broadcasting over the the new public medium - the Internet!

I think there is a law that requires broadcast TV stations to exist? But over the air is just plain obsolete! If TV stations were broadcast over the Internet, they would have tremendous nationwide and worldwide audiences for advertising! And people would have thousands of choices of broadcast stations to watch, including stations in towns where they grew up or lived before, with local news and sports, etc. Broadcasting over the air is so "50's" - so outdated and unpopular today in the U.S.

Or are broadcast TV stations just going to rollover and die, and TV content limited to people that can pay for it by cable, satellite, or cell phone? As Time Warner takes over NBC, could they decide to stop broadcasting over the air? And why wouldn't all broadcast stations in the U.S. stop broadcasting over the air and just "broadcast" via cable since they would make more money with the latter? That's what recent articles are saying.

Is the U.S. going to fall behind the rest of the world in yet another technology/information area because we allow cable TV companies to control everything? Why do we need cable TV, when every TV station and show can stream on the Internet, especially as TV's increasingly connect to the Internet? Of course, the cable TV companies are the primary providers of the Internet, so they will still have their place...