Congressman Jack Kingston - Georgia 1st District

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FCC Issues Low Power FM Radio Service Rules

March 1, 2000

On April 13, 2000, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the Radio Broadcasting Preservation Act (H.R. 3439) by a vote of 274-110. Congressman Jack Kingston was a co-sponsor of this legislation, which was introduced by Rep. Oxley. The bill's intent is to repeal the Federal Communication Commission's (FCC) rules pertaining to Low Power FM (LPFM) radio service, and to revoke any LPFM licenses which may have been issued to date.

On January 20, 2000, the FCC issued rules creating a new low power FM (LPFM) radio service. Existing broadcasters, including those in Georgia, were understandably opposed to this major decision. The new service would create at least one thousand new 100-watt non-commercial FM stations around the nation, as well as untold additional stations at 10 watts or less. By its own admission, the FCC would have to significantly weaken existing interference protections in order to wedge these new stations into the already congested FM band.

Congressman Kingston stated: "I believe this was a very hasty decision by the FCC. What concerns me the most is that it seems to be part of a pattern by this particular government agency to circumvent accepted procedures and issue extreme and far-reaching regulations...Radio is the 'bread and butter' of American communication. This issue demands taking a closer look, with attention to detail."

Kingston believes that the matter requires additional study, including congressional hearings before any final decisions are made. Georgia's radio broadcasters are also concerned that the proposal jeopardizes the conversion to digital radio. At a minimum, adding a large number of low power stations to crowded FM band will make the transition to digital more problematic.