C/Net says Internet radio may go silent on June 26. 

In protest of the elevated royalty fees Webcasters are poised to begin owing to the record industry next month, Internet radio operators are planning to stage a “day of silence.” Larger operators such as Yahoo, RealNetworks’ Rhapsody service and Pandora, may also sign on.

The U.S. Copyright Royalty Board proposes to raise the amount that commercial Internet radio services pay to record companies by 30 percent retroactively to 2006 and in each of the next three years through 2009. Each station would have to hand over a minimum $500 royalty payment.

The Internet radio community says the increased rates could bankrupt its services, particularly those run by smaller operators. SoundExchange, the non-profit collection entity that lobbied for the changes, has repeatedly argued the changes are fair and necessary to ensure artists are compensated adequately.

In other news, Free Press says a bill was introduced in Congress today to open up the local airwaves to more Low Power FM radio stations. But the “Local Community Radio Act of 2007″ (HR 2802) is being opposed by the National Association of Broadcasters.

A recent study by Free Press found that the average local radio market has 16 white male-owned radio stations — but just one female-owned station and two-minority owned stations. Women and minorities control just one-eighth of the country’s full-power radio stations despite comprising more than two-thirds of the population.

Free Press says the Local Community Radio Act of 2007 can help reverse this trend and carve out more space on the dial for female and minority views. The “Local Community Radio Act of 2007″ is sponsored by Reps. Mike Doyle (D-Penn.) and Lee Terry (R-Neb.) in the House, and Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) in the Senate.

LPFM stations are community-based, noncommercial radio stations that broadcast to neighborhoods and small towns. LPFM licenses make owning a radio station possible for churches, schools, labor unions and other community groups that best understand the needs of their local communities.