Local Community Radio Act

NHMC ardently supports this legislation which will expand low power FM (LPFM) radio throughout the country. LPFM stations provide new channels for those seeking to broadcast to the public. As traditional broadcast stations have expensive barriers to entry, LPFM stations are cheaper and provide an excellent way for Latinos and other people of color to be heard over the airwaves. There are about 800 low-power stations already on the air. They broadcast from college campuses, garages, backyard shacks, and local churches, and are aimed specifically at listeners in their surrounding neighborhoods. And many air more than just independent music. Some are providing local news and information that in extreme cases have kept people alive.

S. 592 has officially been placed on the Senate Legislative Calendar, meaning it is now poised for a floor vote. According to the Prometheus Radio Project, the major force behind LPFM legislation, the only step after a Senate vote is the application of a Presidential signature. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and John McCain (R-AZ) were the drivers behind the bill in the Senate, and Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Russ Feingold (D-WI), Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) co-sponsored.