FCC AMENDS RULES THAT GOVERN LPFM


Our hearty congratulations to the Commissioners

On November 27th, the Federal Communications Commission passed a set of
provisions amending the rules that govern the low power FM radio (LPFM)
service -- a noncommercial radio service that hundreds of schools,
churches, municipalities, and community groups use to connect with their
local communities.  Below is the initial press statement of Pete
Tridish, founder of the Prometheus Radio Project, on the FCC's decision.

"Today, Chairman Martin and Commissioners Adelstein and Copps should be
congratulated for moving to protect and expand low power FM radio --
while also understanding that there are many issues we can resolve
through further research and conversation.  The Federal Communications
Commission has taken a number of important steps today towards a better
future for low power radio stations and their communities.  We
appreciate the partial support of Commissioners Mcdowell and Tate, and
feel confident that the concerns they raised can be addressed to their
satisfaction.

The FCC moved to prioritize local needs in their decisions on a number
of administrative issues that are vital to low power FM (LPFM) radio
station operators -- including preventing a group from owning more than
one LPFM, clarifying the rules surrounding the transfer of licenses, and
helping groups make important changes to their boards of directors.
On the bigger issue of how to protect low power stations under threat of
losing their frequencies and broadcast coverage when full power stations
encroach upon them, the FCC has made progress by outlining plans that
can immediately save some stations from getting knocked off the air.

The FCC has promised to further consider ways to resolve trickier
conflicts between LPFM stations and full power broadcasters in
communities nationwide.  We remain concerned that some LPFMs will not be
protected by the item passed today, and urge the Commission to help all
stations threatened with losing their licenses or their signal coverage.
When it comes to low power FM radio, the most important issue facing the
Commission today was the question of how to set the priority between
'translator' stations -- which repeat the signals of full power stations
and extend the full power station's coverage -- and new LPFM applicants.
We commend the decision to limit translator applications from 2003 to 10
applications per entity.  The Commission has wisely chosen to take more
comment from the public, and to continue to study the issue more
closely.

We believe that a creative solution can be found that will
allow the reasonable use of translators, while preserving significant
opportunity for community radio stations to be born.  Low Power FM radio
supporters and advocates have researched and found many ways to balance
these priorities, and we at Prometheus look forward to the opportunity
to share more ideas on this issue with the Commission.
We also commend the Commission for moving towards use of better
engineering methods for finding channels for low power radio stations.
We believe that in further comment, the Commission will find this to be
an important opportunity for low power stations.

Low power FM radio is one tool communities can use to connect to each
other.  Prometheus looks forward to working alongside millions of
Americans not just on community radio, but on the vital debates around
who owns our television, broadcast, cable, and many other forms of media
nationwide.

Our hearty congratulations to the Commissioners and the staff for a
significant step for low power FM, and we look forward to bringing many
of these important LPFM issues to resolution over the coming months."

To be removed from this list, please email Hannah Sassaman at
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hannah sassaman
prometheusradioproject
building radio stations = awesome
http://www.prometheusradio.org
215-727-9620