After years of push and pull, Congress finally passed the Local Community Radio Act without NAB objection, a bill designed to increase the number of LPFMs in part by eliminating 3rd adjacency protection for incumbent FMs. Now NAB is resisting proposals from LPFM activists that would loosen the rules.
NAB noted that the plan that was passed was carefully calibrated to serve many goals, and it believes that many of the proposals would unset the balance achieved.
In particular, NAB is resisting:
* the notion of allowing LPFMs to be built on 2nd-adjacent channels except in “truly unusual circumstances”;
* the FCC should not entertain proposals to increase maximum LPFM power to 250 Watts because it is inconsistent with LPFM as authorized and greatly increases the risk of interference to full power FMs; and
* the FCC should not entertain the allowance of 50 Watt stations, which are also inconsistent the with medium’s history, are technically inefficient and would simply contribute to further crowding of urban airwaves.
NAB concluded that LCRA took a balanced approach to the creation of more LPFM stations, an approach that the FCC should not topple.
