Copyright 2000 The Washington Post
The Washington
Post
October 4, 2000, Wednesday, Final Edition
SECTION: FINANCIAL; Pg. E03
LENGTH: 610 words
HEADLINE:
Community Radio Faces 11th-Hour Battle on Hill
BYLINE:
Frank Ahrens , Washington Post Staff Writer
BODY:
It's zero hour for low-power FM radio in the U.S.
Senate.
In January, the Federal Communications Commission approved the
establishment of neighborhood radio stations as a way of diversifying airwaves
rapidly being bought up by a few large companies. The low-power stations would
be licensed to churches, schools and community groups. Signals would extend only
a couple of miles.
Since then, the idea has been fought by commercial
and public radio outlets worried that the new stations would interfere with
broadcasts on their frequencies.
Having no success with the FCC, the
broadcasters turned to Congress. This summer, the House passed a bill that would
significantly restrict the number and licensing of the stations. In September,
Sen. Rod Grams (R-Minn.) introduced a companion bill. Both measures are touted
as a compromise between the FCC and lawmakers who would seek to kill low-power
stations outright.
Now, as the 106th Congress speeds toward its
conclusion next week, senators friendly to the broadcasters are eager to pass
Grams's legislation and attach it to a spending bill, say sources on Capitol
Hill and in the broadcast industry. As a rider, Grams's bill could be vetoed
only if the spending bill were vetoed.
Meanwhile, the FCC has moved
ahead with allies in Congress and is poised to issue low-power licenses to the
first round of applicants, perhaps by the end of the year.
If President
Clinton signs an appropriations bill with Grams's rider, the stations will
essentially be halted, at least until further interference testing is completed.
This would give the victory to the National Association of Broadcasters and
National Public Radio.
But low-power licensing will proceed if Grams is
unable to attach the rider.
"Unfortunately, with the time and schedule
remaining in this session, it may not be possible," said Steve Behm, Grams's
spokesman. "But with over 50 co-sponsors and strong support in House, and
bipartisan support, we're cautiously optimistic."
Low-power advocates
say the House and Senate bills are not compromises at all.
"It is a bill
to kill low-power FM," said Andrew Schwartzman, president of
the Media Access Project. Schwartzman says he's heard from senators who suggest
that support for Grams's bill may be soft.
The fight has been
characterized as one between Big Radio and grass-roots activists. But it's more
complicated than that. NPR--which began as community radio--supports Grams's
bill because it fears the low-power stations will interfere with reading
services for the blind, which piggyback on NPR signals.
The FCC worked
to mollify NPR's concerns and the FCC altered some points of the low-power
proposal. It wasn't enough for NPR.
"We've worked very hard with NPR and
can only conclude that NPR does not want to see a low-power FM
service for the country," said FCC Chairman William E. Kennard. "This action is
certainly not consistent with the spirit of NPR's mission, which is to serve the
unmet needs of radio listeners. I'm asking a basic question to NPR: Whose public
radio is it, anyway?"
NPR President Kevin Klose said he asked the FCC to
field-test low-power stations to determine whether they will cause interference.
"How can a rational person be opposed to testing in the real world?" Klose said.
The wild card in the Senate is John McCain (R-Ariz.), who offered his
own bill that would have allowed the low-power stations to go ahead as the FCC
proposed--but with tight monitoring for possible interference.
McCain's
bill died last week, but, as chairman of the powerful Senate Commerce Committee,
McCain has the power to block Grams's bill.
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