FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                          News Media Contact:
October 2, 2000                                                                             David Fiske (202) 418-0513

   Statement of FCC Chairman William Kennard on Low Power FM


I am surprised and profoundly disappointed by the statements of National Public Radio
and International Association of Audio Information Services regarding the FCC's recently
released Reconsideration Order for Low Power FM Service.  

Sadly, NPR is not satisfied that the FCC Reconsideration Order goes the extra mile to
address their concerns, even though:

       ·  We created an expedited complaint procedure for rapidly responding to unexpected
       interference;

       ·  We added full protection for radio reading services from new LPFM stations while we
       test the concerns about receivers that NPR brought to us; 

       ·  We committed to protecting translator service in a manner compatible with the LPFM
       service. 

What we declined to do was to give NPR stations new authority to allow NPR translators
that are dislocated in the future to knock LPFM stations off the air. 

The public interest should not fall prey to an all-or-nothing approach.  I had hoped that
NPR would see that their overriding mission to bring noncommercial radio service to the public is
furthered by the establishment of new LPFM radio service that would serve small communities
and niche markets.

It is a sad day when National Public Radio advocates a policy that would deny the public
new radio service.

                            - FCC -