Saturday afternoon Congress also passed the Local Community Radio Act.

[democracy1st]

Little noticed but extremely important to progressives, on Saturday afternoon Congress also passed the Local Community Radio Act.

This legislation opens up radio spectrum to hundreds, if not thousands, of local independent radio stations (also known as LPFM).

Its passing will bring new choices and voices on the radio dial nationwide, but is especially relevant to a broadcast area reaching 160 million people who lived in areas where these stations had previously been barred from local airwaves.

Anyone tracking the rise of radio personalities like Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh and Michael Savage understands the primary political significance of gaining access to spectrum.

With the opening of the airwaves to LPFM stations, progressives can gain a small but consequential spot on the radio dial. The challenge now is to organize local groups to gain access to licenses. Follow and support the Prometheus Radio Project to learn more.


This bill would not have passed without the tireless work of a small, but dedicated corps of radio activists who faced down one of the most powerful corporate lobbies in Washington -- the National Association of Broadcasters.

After ten years of pushing and broad-based organizing these activists got broadcasters to yield on Friday.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/timothy-karr/the-little-bill-that-coul_b_798768.html

NAB and Congress: Stop Making LPFM Community Radio Jump Through Hoops!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPh68vh_Hc8

[tomm2thumbs]

1. thanks for the info - hadn't come across that video either

[MagickMuffin]

2. This IS really GRRRREEAAT news

:kick: & RRRRRRR

[tomm2thumbs]

3. a bit of a silly question, but what is to stop more right wing nuts from grabbing these up

the types that were funded by Koch-type entities? the website wasn't all that clear about how it works

[democracy1st]

4. some additional info

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTTEASVj3TU

It's official: After nearly 10 years on Capitol Hill, the Local Community Radio Act has passed both the House and Senate and now heads for the president's signature. The House approved it Friday (Dec. 17) and the Senate, on Saturday.

Free Press released a statement that said in part, "Woo hoo!"

The law will repeal restrictions on the LPFM (low-power FM) spectrum approved by Congress in 2000 at the request of commercial broadcasters. The restrictions limited the frequencies available to LPFMs to every fourth frequency instead of every third. When low power FM was approved by the FCC in 2000 (Current, Jan. 24, 2000), commercial broadcasters complained that the stations would interfere with their broadcasts. NPR and CPB also opposed LPFM "with gusto," as Current wrote.

The Prometheus Radio Project ("Freeing the Airwaves from Corporate Control") has a complete timeline of the LPFM history here, going back to October 2009.

“We are thrilled that Congress has finally passed legislation that will put the airwaves back in the hands of our communities," said Candace Clement, outreach manager for the Free Press Action Fund. "The Local Community Radio Act will make it possible for hundreds, if not thousands, of new local radio stations to go on the air."

http://currentpublicmedia.blogspot.com/2010/12/after-decade-local-community-radio-act.html

http://kbkw.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=2193

http://www.freepress.net/lpfm

[bluestateguy]

5. That's the first thing I thought of too

You could have a local B-list Tea Party talk show in every market with this.

[democracy1st]

6. here's a good youtube link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTTEASVj3TU

[EstimatedProphet]

8. It gives our side the opportunity to have a voice of our own

I will guarantee that rightwing assholes will get on these stations. The difference is, you can set one up too, and have your voice heard. You couldn't before this passed, because Clear Channel had a lock on radio.

[Hannah Bell]

12. watch who gets them, though. the fundies are organized & funded, the "left" is disorganized

& not so funded.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

10. That's a valid concern --

The last time the FCC made frequencies available for community radio stations the mega-churches snatched most of them up and turned them into translators (relay stations) for their Christian programming. It totally defeated the FCC's purpose.

[truedelphi]

7. K & R for viewing later. n/t

[Better Believe It]

9. Good news! What was the Senate vote on the bill? I couldn't find it listed.

[Hannah Bell]

11. lol. those are for the fundies, who have been the major beneficiaries of previous

such "openings".

because religion is the opium of a low-wage, unequal society.

[ProudDad]

13. Kick

We're organizing here in Baja-Arizona right now!

What are others doing?