Indigo Girls Hit DC In Support Of Local Low Power FM

The Low Power FM movement got a huge boost recently when, according to Digital Music News, "…the Indigo Girls hit Capitol Hill last week to support localism, community service and diversity in broadcast media, using their guitars and voices to help launch the upcoming Community Radio Act of 2005."

"Rep. Louise Slaughter (D., NY) enlisted the Girls to help support her proposed legislation, which aims to consolidate the status of Low Power FM radio nationwide. Playing to a packed hearing room in the Rayburn House Office Building, the Girls ran through an unplugged sampling of their greatest hits for an audience that included congressional staffers, representatives from California and Illinois, and members of various interest groups…"

"The Community Radio Act is being drafted specifically in response to recent reports of fraud and abuse involving Low Power FM licenses. LPFM licenses were created by the FCC in 2000 to promote educational noncommercial broadcasting. However, according to Slaughter, the licenses are being usurped by media conglomerates: "Apparently, many hundreds of LPFM broadcast licenses awarded to individuals by the FCC for their own use were then sold for large sums of money to several owners who intend to broadcast content via satellite networks, rather than use the licenses for the purpose for which they were intended: local voices articulating local issues and featuring local artists reflecting local culture and customs." The draft version of the bill also calls on the FCC to move more quickly to distribute thousands of LPFM licenses throughout the nation, and to ensure that recipients are authentic representatives of the public interest…"

Ready the full story by news analyst Michael Baker at Digital Music News.