Among the 200+ amendments to Senate Bill S.2686 is at least one good one: TITLE XI: LOCAL COMMUNITY RADIO ACT. Our friends at Prometheus Radio are asking that you contact your Senators and ask them to support this amendment.
Low Power Today! Emergency Opportunity to Expand Low Power FM Radio!
Hello Intrepid Rabble Rousers for Community Radio, and Greetings from the Prometheus Radio Project!
NEWSFLASH! FORWARD WIDELY!
The expansion of low power FM (LPFM) radio -- one hundred watt community radio stations used by churches, schools, and community groups around the United States -- has taken a dramatic, important turn. Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona, is sponsoring an amendment onto Senate Bill 2686, a big telecommunications bill that covers everything from who controls your local cable company to how fast and open your access to
the internet is.
You can read this amendment here:
http://www.prometheusradio.org/media/mccain_amendment_stevens_bill.pdf
What would this amendement do? This amendment would remove the artificial restriction that the FCC was forced to put on our airwaves in 2000, keeping low power FM radio from America's cities and thousands of our towns. Hundreds, if not thousands, of new radio frequencies would be opened up to communities across the country.
What's our goal? Senate Bill 2686 will have over 100 amendments offered onto it, and the expansion of low power FM radio is just one. Even though we all might have to come together later this year to defeat this bill (we're not trading low power FM for public access TV -- no way!), this is an important chance to show support for LPFM on the floor of the senate, on this bill, and in all future legislation. If this amendment is voted down on the floor, we'll have to start over at square one to expand LPFM to our communities.
ACT NOW!
What can you do? You can call your Senator -today- and ask them to support low power FM radio on Senate Bill 2686 -- the Communications, Consumer's Choice, and Broadband Deployment Act of 2006. We aren't crying wolf -- we need you to call -immediately- as this bill will start getting debated this week.
Get your Senator's phone number here:
http://www.freepress.net/washington or
http://www.prometheusradio.org/lpfm
And when the staffer picks up, say something like:
"Hi, my name is _____, and I'm your consituent, Senator. I support, and my community supports, the language in Senate Bill 2686 that would expand low power FM across our state and across this country. In an era of natural disasters, and few opportunities for churches, schools, and community groups to make their voices heard, we need more local radio stations in our cities and towns. Please support low power FM in Senate Bill 2686."
Then drop us a line at info@prometheusradio.org, or call us at
215-727-9620, to let us know you called!
We have been fighting against many of the provisions of the larger bill. And if they do not fix the provisions that give away the control of the internet to Comcast and Verizon or limit public access television, we will oppose its ultimate passage.
But it is very important that you help make the amendment is a success, to show the broad support for the positive things legislators can do for communications, like Low Power FM. It's time to expand low power FM from Opelousas, Louisiana to New Orleans, from Spokane, Washington to Seattle, and across this country. Stand together for the community radio we need to take back our airwaves and our democracy!
In Solidarity,
The Organizers at
the Prometheus Radio Project
PS -- Want to learn more about low power FM radio stations serving their communities? Scroll down to the bottom of this page --
http://prometheusradio.org/lpfm -- and read about a station near you here -- http://www.prometheusradio.org/library/news_archive/
PPS -- Low power FM stations saved lives and provided essential communications infrastructure after last year's hurricanes and continue to do so today. This spring, one Mississippi station was honored for its service by none other than President George Bush. Learn about one of those stations here --
http://www.prometheusradio.org/WQRZ_honored_by_president_bush
PPPS -- Get involved with the fight to protect our access to the media by visiting our allies at http://saveaccess.org and http://savetheinternet.com!