John McCain and I often disagree, but I love this: McCain Introduces Low Power FM Legislation. I was pissed when the NAB and NPR shot it down last time (I was especially unhappy with NPR).

For those of you who don’t know, in theory, the FCC can license low power, non-comercial stations. However, in many markets, commercial interests like Clear Channel and Infinity hold so much band space, that there is no room to license said stations. In effect, these stations own the bandwidth and prevent anyone from competing with them. The sad part is that they are allowed to keep this monopoly, and even encouraged with recent FCC rule changes.

We can see it in the radio choices we get. Many stations actually have almost no local broadcasting. Everything is formula and run from a-far. On some stations, even the ‘local’ programming is actually record from a distance and then just locally spliced in (one of the top rated morning programs in LA is actually produced in some guy’s basement a few states away). Frankly, I’m sick of hearing the crappy pop and rap in every market I visit.

This bill will hopefully change much of that. It changes the available bandwidth requirements, which would allow small stations to slip in between the big boys. These stations would have to be non-commercial and have a small broadcast range. Churches, schools, private citizens, community group and communities themselves, would all have the chance, for an investment to have their own radio stations. Not only would this bring local programming back to the localities, but it would put choice back into the airwaves. Frankly, this is something that will benefit everyone…except the corporate interests.

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