Despite FCC approval, LPFM project for Astrodome killed by FEMA!!!

[lostnfound]

:grr: Despite FCC approval and support from Senators McCain and Kay Bailey Hutchison and Gov. Perry, the LPFM project for the Astrodome being planned by Indymedia activists and Prometheus radio has been killed by FEMA.

LPFM activists have put together equipment for a transmission at the Astrodome and has been collecting 10,000 radios. But their request for a little secured space in the pressbox, and electricity was suddenly denied by a FEMA person named Royale. Further, the LPFM team was told that only the head of the Department of Homeland Security or President Bush could approve it.

I had heard about the LPFM project this weekend and thought it was a terrific idea; and intentionally did not write about it on DU because I figured it was better to keep it under the radar. The idea was to broadcast news and information of interest to the evacuees from New Orleans -- news about New Orleans and about how to find jobs, find loved ones, enroll in schools, apply for assistance etc.. What a beautiful use of great technology and even a helpful tool for people running the evacuee support efforts.

FEMA is EVIL.

[Spinzonner]

1. be patient

As soon as they get a Rush feed they're expedite it.

[Lerkfish]

2. sorry for being dense: LPFM stands for what?

[Dogmudgeon]

3. I think it's "Low Power FM radio"

It's for communities, mainly.

--p!

[htuttle]

4. Dammit! They were supposed to start broadcasting tonight!

I just saw a segment on it on Democracy Now.

Guess they could go mobile, but you know the DHS would be looking for it.

...
dark vision fly by helicopters in the night
attempt triangulation of our station in the fight
straight from the bass the deep down low precision
high crime treason we broadcastin' sedission
like the wall street mornin' afternoon edition
commandeering airwaves from unknown positions
...
-- Michael Franti, Listener Supported

[htuttle]

5. Did they deny/revoke the entire license? Or just the location and power?

Thinking a moment about it, though, FCC broadcast licenses are tied to specific broadcast locations (and antenna heights, etc...). I'm not sure they could use the license at a different site or not. Probably not, so in essence, revoking the location permission would have the same effect as revoking the license.

One of the people from a local Indymedia was on DN!, and said they were surprised that they were granted the license so quickly (in a day). At first I thought perhaps there was a subversive clerk at the FCC who pushed it through, but now I wonder whether they weren't just approving it while knowing it would get denied on the ground.

Links or more details as they become available would be appreciated.

[lostnfound]

6. FCC didn't deny the license; FEMA has said no.

My wild-guess is that next we will see the FCC bow down to political pressure, also, and rescind their approval.