Press Center
Prometheus Release
Media Activists Jam Senate
Offices with Radios,
as Congress Pushes to Cripple FCC Low Power Radio
Plan
For
Immediate Release:
Prometheus Newsletter
September
2000
May
2000
Winter
2000
Prometheus in the News
American Journalism Reivew
Nov 14-20,
2000
Political activists, music buffs and church groups are
eagerly pursuing low-power radio licenses that will allow them to reach
neighborhoods rather than regions. But commercial stations--and NPR--want
Congress to slow down this bandwagon.
Inside.com
June 23,
2000
"The commission bent over backwards to appease the
competition-fearing radio industry, which has argued, with little
evidence, that low-power radio will cause a marked increase in signal
interference."
New York Times
January 10,
1999
"Radio Pirates Drop Anchor Together; Seeing Chance for FCC Support, Advocates of Low-Power Stations Share Advice"
Etown
December 16,
1999
"Digital Radio Wars Heat Up; And why do people hate low power FM stations?"
The Times Union
February
24, 1999
'Pirates' a threat to commercial radio stations?
Prometheus Articles
Special Interest Noise
The NAB/NPR attempt to
dupe Congress on interference
FCC Giveaway!
Digital Radio
from Media File
Ralph Nader on
Low-Power FM
July 9, 1999
"What's the use of free speech if noboby can afford it?"
Prometheus Releases
Activists Jam Senate with Radios
October 10,
2000
In response to underhanded political maneuvering in Congress, hundreds of advocates of neighborhood radio are sending their receivers to their Senators.
Coalition tells NPR Board: Stop the Crusade Against LPFM
September 22,
2000
For Once, We Win!
January 20,
2000
FCC Commissioners Create New Low Power Radio Service In Response To Overwhelming Public Support
Study Finds Clear Signals for Low Power Radio
August 1999
FCC Rulemaking
January 28,
1999
"The FCC publicly released today a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on legalizing low power broadcasting in the United States. If the proposal is a good one, and is not defeated by pressure from the National Association of Broadcasters, Low Power FM radio broadcasting (LPFM) could become legal soon."
Lawyers Welcome FCC Move on Low-Power
January 28,
1999
"The Committee on Democratic Communications (CDC) of
National Lawyers Guild praises FCC initiative on low power radio but warns
against commercialism. Micro-radio lawyers urge the FCC to consider only a
democratic, local an." - NLG Release
Showdown Communique
October
1998
Prometheus statement from a 1998 protest in front of the FCC
October 10, 2000
In response to underhanded political maneuvering in Congress, hundreds of advocates of neighborhood radio are sending their receivers to their Senators.
"This action symbolizes our disgust with elected officials bowing to pressure and contributions from corporate lobbyists. If Congress is going to keep the FM airwaves from the public who rightfully own them, we will jam up their offices with hundreds of boxes of the radios that we are throwing out as a result of their mean spirited legislation." said Ken Carl of the Prometheus Radio Project, a group that helps non-profits start new radio stations.
Late last week, US Senator Rod Grams (R-MN) started the process of attaching bill S.3028, the self-proclaimed 'Radio Broadcasting Preservation Act of 2000' to a completely unrelated appropriations bill. An identical version of this bill passed the House earlier this summer. Appropriations are being fast-tracked this week so Senators can go home and campaign. Advocates of Low Power FM radio are demanding the Senate remove S.3020 from appropriations bills, and that at the least hearings should be held and the bill should be voted upon on its own merits.
After years of testing and public comment the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), in January, announced a new initiative to offer Low Power FM (LPFM) licenses for non-commercial neighborhood broadcasting.. The FCC did this at least partially in response to the undermining of local radio by media conglomerates.
"Today we have corporate behemoths owning over 1000 mass market FM radio stations. These giants have no interest in devoting airtime and resources to the concerns of local communities." said Ken Carl, also of Prometheus.
These corporations, fronted by the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), have spent 16.9 million dollars to influence Congress since 1996. The NAB has a staff of twenty lobbyists who have made beating up on the small new stations their top priority.
"Congress has been duped into believing that S.3020 is compromise legislation, but the compromises were already made inside the FCC. This bill requires millions of dollars worth of frivolous field testing about technical issues that are already abundantly understood. It's like demanding tests to find out whether we need emission control devices on bicycles! Calls for tests are a cynical stalling tactic of the broadcasters, hoping to outwait and outspend the tiny LPFMs until we just give up. In fact, the FCC has addressed every single concern of LPFM opponents, and has mandated extremely conservative regulations and oversight for LPFM," added Pete Tridish of Prometheus Radio Project. .
The first two of five windows for submitting LPFM applications have already passed, resulting in nearly 1300 applications from churches, civic groups, local governments, youth, senior and other community organizations. This overwhelming response to the FCC's LPFM initiative is being ignored by Congress.
"We applied to build a radio station in Opelousas, Louisiana so that our neighborhood could have local news, community organizations and youth could have radio shows, and our town could have a more open media. Can you believe that in the town that hosts the largest zydeco festival in the world, there is barely any Zydeco on the radio? It's all pop music from other places." Said Micheal Levier, of the Southern Development Foundation, a low power radio applicant in Louisiana. "It is just typical that the one time that the FCC tries to do right by regular people in Americas' small towns and neighborhoods, Congress comes along and tears up their plans to make sure that all the radio stations stay in the hands of the big corporations."
For additional information contact:
Ken Carl - 215-668-6627 mailto:%20kencarl27@yahoo.com
Pete Tridish - mailto:%20petri@critpath.org
215-476-2385 /215-219-2327
Micheal Levier 337-942-2392
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