Prometheus Radio Project expects a good result when the Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet puts H.R. 1147, the Local Community Radio Act of 2009 to a vote today, helping clear the way for a new wave of LPFM licenses.
The number of licenses awarded thus far has been limited since 3rd adjacency protection has been extended to incumbents on the FM dial. However, studies have shown that the protection is not necessary.
NAB has disputed these findings, but the common existence of FM translators on 3rd adjacent channels has been a difficult argument to overcome – if it’s OK for them, why not similarly-powered LPFMs?
Mike Doyle (D-PA) and Lee Terry (R-NE) have been championing the legislation. Doyle told a Future of Music gathering that it was “our Christmas present this year.”
“We’d like to thank Congressmen Doyle, Boucher, Waxman and all Congressional supporters of low power radio. The hard work of these leaders and their staff to bring this legislation to a vote will yield great results for America’s local media landscape,” said Pete Tridish, founding member of Prometheus Radio Project.
“Thousands of communities could finally have a chance to have their own radio station,” added Cory Fischer-Hoffman, Campaign Director for the Prometheus Radio Project. “We hear from schools, churches, community groups, emergency responders, and local governments who want a local forum for news and information. They’re eager for this opportunity.”
RBR-TVBR observation: This effort has gathered momentum and has bipartisan support. It is also strongly supported within the halls of the FCC. We do not expect that there is any stopping it at this point.
