Provisions of a bill that may restrict the number of licenses the Federal Communications Commission could give to low-power FM radio broadcasters was included in an appropriations bill Thursday morning.
The Senate will vote on the bill later Thursday. President Bill Clinton has said he will veto the bill on a number of conditions including the LPFM rider.
To the dismay of faith-based organizations, the Indigo Girls, and First Amendment rights proponents, the appropriations bill includes legislation by Sen. Rod Grams (R-Minnesota) which could delay and restrict the number of 10- to 100-watt licenses handed out by the FCC.
Grams’ bill, which is supported by National Public Radio and the National Association of Broadcasters, would require the FCC to conduct studies on the economic impact LPFM stations would have on current stations on the air.
It would also require independent testing of whether LPFM stations interfere with present stations. It also prohibits the FCC from awarding third adjacent channels to stations already on the air.
“It’s an outrage that Congress would overturn this public process,” said Michael Bracy, executive director for the Low Power Radio Coalition. “The FCC has a 50-year track record and knows how to manage the spectrum.”
Grams’ office and the National Association of Broadcasters did not return calls seeking comment.
President Bill Clinton shot a letter to House Speaker Dennis Hastert and Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott warning that he will veto the bill because it does not include hate crimes legislation that includes a person’s gender, sexual orientation and disability. It also does not naturalize Latino immigrants who have been living illegally in the United States since the 1980s and includes Grams’ bill.
“I urge Congress to refrain from adding riders that would reward special interests at the expense of the public interest,” Clinton said in his statement. “I also urge Congress to drop the rider that would prevent the Federal Communications Commission from licensing new low-power FM radio stations to provide for a diversity of voices in communities around the country.”
Said Rich Cizik, director for the National Association of Evangelicals: “We may have lost round two, but we many not lose the match.”
