October 8, 2009
Contact: Cory Fischer-Hoffman
Campaign Director
Prometheus Radio Project
610-761-5414
coryfh@prometheusradio.org
Low Power Radio
Triumphs over Big Broadcasters in Washington
Local Community Radio Act Sweeps House Subcommittee in 15 to 1 vote
The Local Community Radio Act was passed out of the House Subcommittee
on Communications, Technology and the Internet this morning in a
sweeping 15 to 1 vote. The Act would allow for the creation of hundreds
of new, low power FM (LPFM) radio stations that would broadcast
community news and local perspectives to neighborhoods across the
country.
“All I can say is, it's about time,” said Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA), a
co-sponsor of the bill. “It was absurd and ridiculous that broadcasters
went to such great lengths to block the public from having some small
measure of access to the airwaves, and disgraceful that we had to spend
more two million dollars to prove what the FCC already had shown—that
LPFM would not interfere with full power stations.”
Big broadcasters have historically opposed the Local Community Radio
Act, claiming that LPFM could cause interference to full power
stations, a concern later disproven by a Congressionally mandated
study. But with unanimous FCC support, strong bipartisan
co-sponsorship, and grassroots momentum, even industry news is now
predicting a win. “We do not expect that there is any stopping it at
this point,” the
Radio Business Report commented this morning.
“The bill still has a long way to go in the legislative process, but I
am optimistic that by the end of the year the Local Community Radio Act
will be signed into law,” said Congressman Doyle (D-PA), lead
co-sponsor of the bill with Congressman Lee Terry (R-NE).
The bill gained the support of former doubters of LPFM, including Rep.
Cliff Stearns (R-FL), a former lead co-sponsor of anti-LPFM legislation
and ranking Republican on the subcommittee, Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR),
the only former broadcaster in Congress, and Rep. John Dingell (D-MI),
who called for the study of LPFM interference in 2000.
“Today’s vote signals a policy shift towards more local and diverse
media,” said Cory Fischer-Hoffman, Campaign Director for the Prometheus
Radio Project. “We need to use this momentum to push for full passage
of the Local Community Radio Act so groups working tirelessly to have a
voice in their communities can start building stations.”
Hundreds of groups—including schools, churches, and emergency
responders—were denied licenses in 2000 after Congress blocked the FCC
from handing them out in crowded media markets.
Advocates point to the successes of existing low power FM stations to
prove their value to communities. “When Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf,
low power radio was the only source of emergency information in a
number of counties. Residents in East Texas tuned their
battery-operated radios to KZQX-LP while they waited a week for power
to be restored,” said Andalusia Knoll, Community Station Director at
the Prometheus Radio Project. “In Louisiana, KOCZ-LP has proven
essential to the cultural survival of Zydeco music, which is rarely
heard on the airwaves. And low power station WRYR-LP hosts public
debate about the environmental impacts of development on the Chesapeake
Bay.”
“Congress should act swiftly to pass LPFM and support the families,
workers, and places of worship that serve as the anchors in our
communities,” said Joel Kelsey, Policy Analyst at Consumers Union.
Nancy Zirkin of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights added, “In an
era of mass media consolidation, we in the civil rights community
believe that it is critical to promote diverse ownership and diverse
viewpoints over the public airwaves, and we look forward to the passage
of this bill into law.”
The Local Community Radio Act is now poised to move to the full Energy
and Commerce Committee, chaired by longtime LPFM supporter Rep. Henry
Waxman (D-CA).
The Prometheus Radio Project is a Philadelphia based non-profit
that advocates for greater public access to the airwaves through the
licensing of low power radio stations. www.prometheusradio.org
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