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Thursday, January 28, 1999
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<P><FONT FACE='ARIAL, HELVETICA' SIZE='-2'><a href="/version1">PAGE ONE</a> | <a href="/version1/section/0,1553,214,00.html">NEWS</a> | <a href="/version1/section/0,1553,215,00.html">SPORTS</a> | <a href="/version1/section/0,1553,264,00.html">BUSINESS</a> | <a href="/version1/section/0,1553,263,00.html">LEISURE</a></FONT><BR><FONT SIZE='5' COLOR='#990000' FACE='Arial, Helvetica'><B>NATION/WORLD</B></FONT><IMG WIDTH=1 HEIGHT=8 BORDER=0 SRC='/lib/pix/clear.gif' ALT=''><BR><FONT FACE='ARIAL, HELVETICA' SIZE='-2'><a href="/version1/section/0,1553,174,00.html">COMMUNITIES</a> | <a href="/version1/section/0,1553,175,00.html">MARKETPLACES</a> | <a href="/version1/section/0,1553,176,00.html">INTERACT</a> | <a href="/tools/custom/index2.frm">CUSTOMIZE</a></FONT></P><BR><HR WIDTH=350><FONT SIZE=3>You are using a customized version of the Internet Tribune. To restore the full-featured version, click <a href="/tools/custom/siteversion/assign/1,1187,,00.html?version=two">here.</a></FONT>
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<CENTER><FONT SIZE="6"><STRONG>FCC PLANS TO LICENSE LOW-POWER FM RADIO</STRONG></FONT></CENTER>
<CENTER><FONT SIZE="5"><EM>BROADCASTERS OPPOSE NEW CLASS OF STATIONS</EM></FONT></CENTER>
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<FONT SIZE="3"><STRONG>By Frank James</STRONG></FONT><BR>
<FONT SIZE="-1">Washington Bureau</FONT><BR>
<EM><FONT SIZE="-1">January 28, 1999</FONT></EM><P>
<FONT SIZE="-1">WASHINGTON</FONT>
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In a move likely to meet fierce resistance from the nation's broadcasters,
the Federal Communications Commission on Thursday is expected to unveil a plan
to create thousands of small radio stations across the country by licensing
low-power FM broadcasting.<P>
The proposal, meant to open broadcasting's doors to Americans who are
locked out, would create a new class of stations ranging in power from one
watt to 1,000 watts. Licenses to run the stations would be given to
individuals, schools, community groups and others currently without broadcast
licenses.<P>
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The proposal's details were in flux Wednesday and could change before
Thursday's commission meeting, said an FCC official. The proposal tentatively
calls for three classes: 1,000-watt stations with a broadcast signal diameter
of about 18 miles; 100-watt stations with a signal diameter of 7 miles, and 1-
to 10-watt stations whose signals could cover a 2- to 4-mile diameter.<P>
It takes millions of dollars to buy the equipment to start an FM station,
and the broadcast power of many stations is numbered in the tens of thousands
of watts. In contrast, a low-power station can be started for a few thousand
dollars, sometimes less.<P>
"I'm enthusiastic about the proposal," said FCC Chairman William Kennard.
"I have a sense of urgency about getting it done, and I'm going to proceed."<P>
The 1,000-watt stations likely would be commercial, taking paid
advertising, to provide new business and employment opportunities, according
to an FCC official.<P>
The Telecommunications Reform Act of 1996 led many broadcast companies to
acquire additional radio stations. That industry consolidation has meant "kids
coming out of college stations no longer have the farm team of small radio
stations to get their first jobs," the official said. The new commercial
stations could help correct that, he said.<P>
It also would give small businesses more affordable advertising outlets
"when they never would have been able to advertise before because it was too
expensive at bigger stations," said the FCC official.<P>
The 100-watt stations would alleviate the shortage of available space in
the radio spectrum for educational purposes, the official said, allowing many
colleges to have radio stations. Many K-12 schools also could start up radio
stations, he said.<P>
The FCC envisions schools, churches and community groups starting the
smallest stations, particularly in urban areas where broadcast-signal
congestion is a problem. Because of their weak signals, those stations are
unlikely to have much commercial viability, the official said.<P>
"There has been a huge outpouring of support for this idea," said Kennard.
"Just today . . . I've got letters on my desk here from the U.S. Catholic
Conference, National Organization for Women Legal Defense and Education Fund."<P>
<P>
The National Association of Broadcasters strongly opposes microradio, as
low-power radio is also known. Dennis Wharton, senior vice president of
communications for the NAB, said the trade group's members fear the new
stations would create interference with existing stations.<P>
"Anyone who listens to radio knows that interference is a serious problem,"
Wharton said. "If you shoehorn thousands of additional stations into already
crowded airwaves, this can only lead to more interference and less service to
the American public."<P>
Kennard said he is aware of broadcasters' concerns. "The NAB is
understandably concerned that we not create lots of new interference and we
don't want to do that," he said. "The FCC is the guardian of the spectrum. . .
. I'm confident we can have a microradio without causing interference."<P>
Some advocates of low-power radio accuse the NAB of opposing the new class
of radio stations because its members view them as a competitive threat. But,
said Wharton, "We're not afraid of competition."<P>
<P>
The NAB could be a formidable obstacle to the FCC's low-power radio idea.
The broadcast industry often is treated deferentially by lawmakers who depend
on the airtime they purchase from broadcasters during election campaigns.<P>
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