Yesterday, on the same day that Don't Ask Don't Tell was repealed, another significant bill was passed by both the House and Senate: the Local Community Radio Act. As the Huffington Post reports, this legislation allows for the creation of new non-commercial stations on American airwaves-- a number that could reach to the hundreds or even thousands. In a press release, the Future of Music Coalition said, "The addition of more Low Power FM (LPFM) stations will increase local civic engagement, diversify the airwaves, support local music and culture, assist during emergencies, expand religious expression, and provide a platform for the voices of underrepresented communities to be heard."
UPDATE: The bill states that these stations must be FCC-approved "based on the needs of the local community," and that restrictions are in place to "prohibit any applicant from obtaining a low-power FM license if the applicant has engaged in any manner in the unlicensed operation of any station in violation of section 301 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 301)." There is also built-in protection for "full-power FM stations that are licensed in significantly populated States with more than 3,000,000 housing units and a population density greater than 1,000 per square mile," so low-power stations may be more difficult to acquire in those areas.
More than 500 LPFM stations have been given the green-light since 2001. According to the bill, "These stations are currently on the air and are run by local government agencies, groups promoting arts and education to immigrant and indigenous peoples, artists, schools, religious organizations, environmental groups, organizations promoting literacy, and many other civically oriented organizations." With the passing of this bill, we can now expect many more of these LPFM stations to proliferate.
This is a major victory for those aspiring to become community broadcasters, and an extremely exciting development for community-driven radio nationwide. Pitchfork very much looks forward to reporting on and supporting these new stations as they appear.
Find more information at the Prometheus Radio Project and expandlpfm.org
