FREE PRESS NEWS FUTURE OF MUSIC COALITION NATIONAL FEDERATION OF COMMUNITY BROADCASTERS RELEASE MEDIA ACCESS PROJECT OFFICE OF COMMUNICATION OF UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST

For Immediate Release February 7, 2005

Contacts: Michael Bracy, Future of Music Coalition, 202 331 2958 Craig Aaron, Free Press, 202 265 1490 Harold Feld, Media Access Project, 202 232 4300

Low Power FM Radio Advocates Applaud FCC for Leadership, Push for Common Sense Policies to Strengthen Service

WASHINGTON – More than two dozen leading Low Power FM (LPFM) broadcasters and advocates will converge at the Federal Communications Commission and on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, February 8, 2005, to both celebrate the five-year anniversary of the FCC’s historic LPFM rulemaking and to push for policies to strengthen and expand the service.

On February 8, from 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., the FCC is hosting a forum where Chairman Michael Powell and other FCC commissioners will discuss the status and impact of the low power radio service with a wide range of LPFM station operators. This forum is a unique opportunity to learn how LPFM is being utilized in specific communities and about challenges faced by these community broadcasters.

After the forum, panelists will be joined by dozens of other LPFM broadcasters and supporters for a series of briefings on Capitol Hill.

“We applaud the FCC for their leadership in establishing the LPFM service and their willingness to learn more about how these stations are serving their communities,” said Carol Pierson, president and CEO of the National Federation of Community Broadcasters. “Our hope is that policymakers will fully embrace LPFM as an affirming, empowering platform for local, non-commercial speech that is truly making a difference in communities around the nation.”

In January 2000, the FCC voted to create a new class of non-commercial, community- based LPFM radio stations intended to provide an expanded platform for schools, churches, community groups, labor unions, local governments and other non-commercial entities to make use of the public airwaves. These stations broadcast at a maximum of 100 watts, reaching a geographic radius of roughly four to six miles. Because of the low power nature of the signal, the cost of operating a station is remarkably low, allowing stations to be operated for a fraction of the cost of a traditional full-power station. Over the past five years, the FCC’s LPFM initiative has been a remarkable success. More than 600 new stations are currently on the air across the country, with hundreds of additional applications pending at the FCC. It is widely believed that the first wave of applications alone will result in more than 1,000 new non-commercial radio stations, the widest expansion of non-commercial radio in decades.

However, the LPFM community faces significant policy challenges. In 2000, Congress passed an appropriations rider that prohibited the FCC from modernizing their interference protection standards pending further technical review, effectively blocking LPFM licenses in urban communities. An independent interference study conducted by the Mitre Corporation subsequently validated the FCC’s engineering analysis in a report that the FCC sent to Congress in 2004. In July 2004, the Senate Commerce Committee passed legislation that would lift the ban on implementation of LPFM in urban markets.

“Low Power FM stands out in an era of massive media consolidation,” said Josh Silver, executive director of Free Press. “The public is pleading for the opportunity to expand this service into larger cities and increase the diversity of local voices. Congress shouldn’t stand in the way of these community-oriented stations any longer.”

Further, a number of critical policy decisions remain unresolved at the FCC, including the status of LPFM stations as opposed to translators that extend the reach of remote signals and the ability of LPFM applicants to make simple adjustments to their existing applications. Some of these common-sense proposals have been pending in motions for reconsideration for up to four years, a source of great frustration to many LPFM advocates.

"The FCC has sitting before it a list of easy changes it can make in the rules to help LPFM stations get on the air and make it easier for them to serve their local communities," said Harold Feld, Senior Vice President at the Media Access Project. "We urge the FCC to move quickly to resolve these issues." Media Access Project, a non- profit public interest law firm, represents Prometheus Radio Project and other LPFM activists at the FCC.

Jenny Toomey, executive director of Future of Music Coalition, said: “For musicians and performers, LPFM represents an unprecedented opportunity for communities to highlight genres of music – local, jazz, classical – that are often ignored by commercial media. It’s time for Congress to recognize the cultural necessity of LPFM and allow stations to be licensed in more populated areas.”

Gloria Tristani, former FCC Commissioner and current managing director of the Office of Communication of United Church of Christ, said: “I was proud to vote for LPFM when it was established five years ago but urge the Commission and Congress to do more so that more communities across America can avail themselves of this unique and local service. While we appreciate what the Commission has done to date, it’s important to note the very basic things that have not been accomplished. Hopefully, today’s forum will provide the push they need to resolve some of these very basic issues.”

Low Power Radio is supported by a wide range of national organizations, including the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Office of Communication of the United Church of Christ, National League of Cities, National Federation of Community Broadcasters, Future of Music Coalition, Free Press, Common Cause and dozens of others.

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