Why can't I get a low power FM radio license?

The Federal Communications Commission isn't giving any more licenses out until the get permission from Congress to give them out all over the country.

Why does the Federal Communications Commission need the go-ahead from Congress to give out more licenses?

The low power FM radio service, legalized in 2000, was a response to the work of people like you, fighting for the right to use their own airwaves! To date, hundreds of new radio stations are on the air, transmitting vibrant local programming to towns and countrysides that need it.

When the National Association of Broadcasters and National Public Radio started to see how many great new stations would be blossoming all over the United States, they decided to fight the service. They pretended that there was a problem with interference -- that if you put a low power FM station on the dial too close to a full power FM radio station, there would be too much crackling on the dial to listen to the full power station.

This argument didn't hold water at the FCC (when the NAB put together a fake CD of what interference would sound like, the chief engineers at the Commission bit back, condemning the NAB for disseminating lies about low power FM!). But the industry was able to convince Congress to limit low power FM radio to America's most rural areas, with the Radio Broadcast Preservation Act of 2000.

How can we prove that there is plenty of room for low power FM in my community?

When the Radio Broadcast Preservation Act of 2000 was passed, Congress mandated that the FCC conduct a study as to whether or not low power FM radio stations would interfere with full oower broadcasts. Under this Congressional mandate, the FCC designed a testing program to assess the probability of interference from low-power FM stations. That study, conducted by independent contractors at the MITRE corporation, has been completed -- and it has found that there is no problem with LPFM -- that interference is not an issue for full power FM stations! Bring on the community radio!

Read a full analysis of the MITRE study here: http://oldsite.prometheusradio.org/release_71303.shtml.

According to the study, released July 13, 2003 by the MITRE Corporation, there is only an infinitesimal chance that the signals from FCC licensed low-power stations will interfere with bigger, full power radio stations. Now, all we have to do is get Congress to repeal the Radio Broadcast Preservation Act of 2000, giving the FCC permission to give out hundreds, if not thousands, of low power FM radio licenses! How will we do that? Keep reading.

How many stations are on the air today, as a result of this limitation? Would there have been a station in my neighborhood?

Low power FM applicants and hopefuls can be found in every city in the United States. Major, diverse urban areas like Minneapolis, New Orleans, Boston, Phoenix, Seattle, and Miami would all have been served by at least one, if not more, low power FM radio stations -- under the original rules designed and tested by the FCC. After Congress gutted LPFM, far less than half of the original license applications were even allowed to be considered, because powerful lobbying groups argued that these new stations would cause interference with existing signals. Many of these stations are on the air, doing incredible service, in rural areas across the United States. You can read more about low power FM stations on the air in your neck of the woods at the LPFM Database, run by Pirate Jim, and get a visual sense of the lucky spots, and those who were left out, here: http://sharph.net/fcc_mashup/lpfm.php, at this simple webtool, designed by Prometheus volunteer Sharp Hall.

Have there been bills introduced before that would expand low power FM radio to my community? What is LPFM's legislative history?

Because folks like you have advocated to Congress to get rid of the Radio Broadcast Preservation Act, and to expand low power FM radio all across the United States, we have had a lot of success over the past few years! By working together to advocate on low power FM in our communities, in Congress, and across the country, we can repeal the idiotic law that limits our voices. In 2007, we're going to take it all the way, and repeal the law keeping community radio from your town. Here's a brief legislative history of LPFM expansion, to bring you up to date!

In 2004, Senators John McCain of Arizona and Patrick Leahy of Vermont introduced Senate Bill 2505, which would repeal the Radio Broadcast Preservation Act of 2000. On July 22, 2004, the Senate Commerce Committee listened to the American public, rather than the big broadcasters, and voted to expand low power FM radio, despite half-hearted attempts by now-ousted Montana Senator Conrad Burns, and New Jersey Senator Frank Lautenberg to amend or sink the legislation. The bill didn't move further than the Commerce Committee througout the rest of that Congressional session.

In 2005, Senators McCain and Leahy were joined by Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington State when they re-introduced the Local Community Radio Act of 2005, which would also repeal the Radio Broadcast Preservation Act of 2000. That bill was eventually amended to a big bill covering many communications issues, Senate Bill 2686, a bill with over 200 amendments, introduced by Senator Ted Stevens in the spring and summer of 2006.

While the bill would have limited the rights of communities to negotiate for their own public access television stations, and squashed many of our rights to access the content we want, whenever we want, on the Internet, a large coalition of community media advocates and media reformers agreed that we had a chance to make a statement for LPFM when it was amended, by surprise, to the Stevens bill.

Low power FM advocates, calling their legislators and asking them to support low power FM as well as protect Net Neutrality, community access TV, and more, were able to win a stunning victory for low power FM radio, when the Senate Commerce Committee voted 14-7 to expand low power FM! Open this page to see if your Senator voted to expand low power FM -- or if they voted against community radio. Conservative mainstays like Trent Lott of Mississippi and George Allen of Virginia joined McCain, Cantwell, and many others to expand low power FM. Search for LPFM to get a record of the vote!

There was also a lot of activity in the House of Represenatives this past legislative session, when Congresswoman Louise Slaughter, of upstate New York, introduced the Expand and Protect Local Community Radio Act in the fall of 2005. With Congresswoman Slaughter's leadership, that bill gathered eleven diverse cosponsors, including legislators from Arizona, California, New Mexico, Illinois, Hawaii, Massachusetts, and Michigan!

This proves that your work advocating to Congress makes a difference -- and you can do it again in 2007.

How can we win in Congress in 2007?

Great question! On June 21st, 2007, Congressman Mike Doyle, Democrat of Pennsylvania, and Congressman Lee Terry, Republican of Nebraska, announced that they were introducing House Bill 2802 -- or the Local Community Radio Act of 2007 (text version -- Local Community Radio Act of 2007 (printable PDF). This bill would expand low power FM to millions more Americans. Senators McCain and Cantwell will be introducing their LPFM legislation in a few weeks. These Congressmembers and Senators need your support -- and you can encourage more legislators to cosponsor these essential bills!. Read below for your simple recipe for working regularly on educating your legislators on low power FM.

		A Regular Recipe for Winning Expanded Low Power FM Radio!
		Below, please find some tools for you to use as you contact your Congresspeople. Print out these documents, and pass them along to friends and neighbors who are willing to help fight for this great service! 1) Find out who my Senators and Congressmembers are. You can click here -- http://www.congress.org to look up your Congressmembers and Senators. Write down their numbers for their district offices, and their Washington, DC locations! Or, call 202-224-3121 for the Capitol Switchboard, your one-stop shop for your legislators' contact information. 2) During business hours, Monday through Friday, schedule a time to call my Senators and Congresspeople! You'll probably reach a receptionist on the phone -- someone who is obligated to write down your information and take it to your legislators. You can say something like: "Hello -- My name is __________, and I'm a constituent of the Congressman/Senator. This year, it's more important than ever that we expand low power FM radio to churches, schools, and community groups, so communities across the state will have diverse broadcast information and a voice in their cities and towns. We need local stories, emergency and safety information, and much more. Please ask Congressman _________/Senator _________ to support House Bill 2802 -- the Local Community Radio Act of 2007 which will expand low power FM radio". It's always important to share a personal story as to why you want a community radio station in your town. When you speak to your legislator or one of his/her staffers, make sure that you tell them why you and your community need a radio station. Flip to the bottom of this page to learn more about stations that could inspire even the grumpiest of legislators to act! 3) After you get in touch with your legislator, let us know you called, by emailing hannahjs (at) prometheusradio.org. Or you can call Hannah at 215-727-9620, extention 501. 4) Make it a habit! If you start to call your legislator once a week, or once a month, even, they will start to build a record that their constituents care about community radio, and won't back down until they have a station on the air. We can help you remember to call! Get in touch after the first time you reach your legislators, and we'll remind you to stay in the habit of fighting for low power FM to reach your community. 5) Spread the word. Tell a friend to visit this site, at http://prometheusradio.org/take_action/lpfm_in_congress/, or to give us a call to get in the habit of fighting for low power FM radio!

Who are our allies in expanding low power FM radio?

Prometheus has worked with many longerm partners to fight for expanded community radio. Groups as diverse as the Future of Music Coalition and Free Press have joined the Christian Coalition and the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition to expand low power FM, alongside hundreds of local, regional and national groups. The diversity of the groups that need and fight for community radio is the key to bipartisan legislators embracing the need to expand it! Find more supporters of low power FM

Where can I learn more about succesful low power FM radio stations?

Many low power FM stations are on the air, proving day after day that they are essential to their communtiies. Here are a few you could mention to your legislators, and keep in mind as friends and allies in the fight for community radio:

WQRZ-LP, the Hancock County Amateur Radio Association, isn't just a great community radio station, serving the community of Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, it saved lives during and after Hurricane Katrina. Learn this station's story, and the importance of local stations and the work they do in emergencies, here and in the second part of this great documentary, producer by Rick Karr, as part of The Net At Risk. Or check out their website here: http://hometown.aol.com/kb5mpw/myhomepage/club.html.

KPCN-LP, the voice of the Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Notoeste, is a farmworker station making major waves. This farmworkers' union in southern Oregon works 24/7 to help community members organize for their rights in Woodburn, Oregon, in the fields, in the homes, and in solidarity with their communities in Oregon and beyond. Read about the station's launch to the airwaves here: http://prometheusradio.org/barnraisings/kpcn_woodburn_or/, or watch this film by the Pepperspray Video Collective: http://community.freespeech.org/kpcn_radio_movemiento

A Few More Stations!

KHEN, 106.9
Low-power radio stations give voice to diversity
Salida Colorado

KOCZ 103.7 FM
Southern Development Foundation
Opelousas, Louisiana

WRYR 97.5 FM
South Arundel Coalition for Responsible Development
South Arundel, Maryland