Starting a radio station has for many years has been completely out of reach for the general public. In 2000, activists for a more democratic media won a rare opportunity for your neighborhood to apply for an extremely valuable radio station, for free.

But corporate interests like the National Association of Broadcasters stepped in and convinced the FCC to keep the new low-power licenses out of the hands of most Americans, keeping neighborhood radio out of most urban centers.

We had a great victory, but not for everyone. In 2000, the FCC opened one licensing window -- just one brief moment when community groups could claim a thin sliver of the airwaves for local use. In all, over 3200 groups applied for licenses, and to date, more that 800 have been licensed!

Click on the links above, and read below, for background on what low power FM radio is -- and find out if it's right for your community.

Or visit our Take Action -- Expand Low Power FM in Congress page to win low power FM for everybody! If you ever want a radio station for your community the time to act is now. Together, we will continue fighting until the next democratic victory on the airwaves!

Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FNPRM) Reply Comments Filed!
Prometheus Recommends Creation of Local Community FM (LCFM) Service

The Reply Comment phase on the Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on MM Docket #99-25, On the Creation of a Low Power Radio Service, has just ended. The FNPRM will have the most far-reaching impact on the future of Low Power FM of any FCC proceeding on the service yet.

In our reply comments, we clarify our call for what we might call LCFM (Local Community FM) -- a class of community radio licenses allocated using the contour overlap rules, which would allow low power radio stations in thousands of places where they are not permitted now. LCFMs that committed to 8 hours a day of local programming would be primary to certain translators, but translators that were repeating a local station that had a significant amount of locally produced programming would be primary to any new station (LPFM or LPCM). LPFMs threatened with encroachment by a full power station, or those that currently have bad frequencies, could shift their status to LCFM. And full power stations could force the closure or modification of a LCFM if there were interference to "any regularly used signal," even if it was outside of their protected contour. But LCFMs as we have outlined them could probably exist even in the biggest urban markets! Learn more about this proposal by reading our reply comments.

We also repeat the advocacy in our initial comments on this proceeding for a priority system based on verifiable commmitments of local service, rather than the current "who peed on this frequency first" allocations system.

For more info, email petri((a))prometheusradio.org

Prometheus Files Comments on LPFM Service Proceeding
Allied Organizations Sign On!

Over 15,000 comments were filed during the public comment period on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on LPFM radio service at the Federal Communications Commission. Over twenty five organizations signed on to Prometheus' comments, which addressed issues ranging from LPFM status in relation to translators to whether FCC regulations should permit the sale of LPFM licenses. Curious? Take a look at our list of questions drawn from the NPRM for a quick synopsis of the issues, or use it to guide your reading! Really curious? The Federal Register version of the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for your downloading pleasure!

Read our document "14.5 Ways the FCC Can Improve LPFM" for a brief outline of where we stand on some of the NPRM issues, or peruse our comments for deeper insight, and get a feel for a part of the FCC 's regulatory process and how we participate. Following every public comment period, the FCC accepts reply comments. REC Networks successfully petitioned the FCC to extend the reply comment period for this NPRM; we just filed our reply comments, in which we take up our pen and wield it against the likes of National Public Radio and the National Association of Broadcasters. Still can't get enough? Never fear, there is tons of significant commentary to read on this proceeding!