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Federal Communications Commission 445 12th Street, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20554 |
News media information 202 / 418-0500 Fax-On-Demand 202 / 418-2830 Internet: http://www.fcc.gov TTY: 202/418-2555 |
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This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action. Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action. See MCI v. FCC. 515 F 2d 385 (D.C. Circ 1974). |
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FCC CHAIRMAN RESPONDS TO HOUSE VOTE TO CUT THE NUMBER OF COMMUNITY RADIO STATIONS BY 80% |
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Washington, DC--FCC Chairman William Kennard said today that he is very
disappointed that the U.S. House of Representatives has voted to eliminate over 80% of the
potential Low Power FM radio stations in hundreds of communities around the country with the
passage of H.R. 3439. In a statement, Kennard said, "Special interests triumphed over community interests today. While the National Association of Broadcasters frequently opposes new competitive services, I'm particularly disappointed that National Public Radio joined with commercial interests to stifle greater diversity of voices on the airwaves. I can only wonder how an organization that excels in national programming could fear competition from local programming by these tiny stations operated by churches, schools, community groups and public safety agencies." Kennard said there should be no mistake about the implications of this bill. He said, "While it appears on the face to simply be about requiring the FCC to conduct more tests to protect existing broadcasters from interference, its practical effect is to set roadblocks and hurdles for the FCC, and for the development of low power radio, that may never be met and that only can serve to protect incumbent broadcasters from competition." Kennard listed four reasons why the interference issue is a "red herring:"
"I urge any House Member or Senator seriously concerned about the interference issue to review the exhaustive engineering studies that the FCC conducted during our two-year proceeding and to discuss their concerns with our frequency experts," Kennard said.
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