Measure Limits New FM Radio Service

Wednesday, December 20th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

WASHINGTON (AP) â€” The hopes of colleges, churches, and community groups to have their own little radio stations were dealt a setback by lawmakers, who, urged on by commercial broadcasters, curtailed a government plan to create a new FM service.

A provision in the massive spending measure that Congress sent to President Clinton curbs the development of a new micro-radio service that regulators and public interest groups had hailed as a way to add voices to the airwaves amid increasing consolidation.

But the nation's broadcasting lobby and public radio have opposed the Federal Communications Commission effort, because it calls for relaxing some buffers that currently surround FM stations.

Critics argued that consumers would experience more interference with existing full-power FM stations and that special reading services for the blind â€” delivered on special channels â€” could be interrupted as well.

FCC Chairman William Kennard said he was disappointed by the congressional action.

``Low-power FM radio will allow new voices to serve small niche community markets not currently being served by existing radio stations,'' he said in a statement. ``Thus I regret that so many of our nation's schools, churches and community-based organizations will not have the benefit of this opportunity.''

The provision in the bill awaiting Clinton's signature bars the FCC from removing the cushions that protect FM stations, except in nine test markets. In those areas, the commission can authorize the new low-power stations, which operate at 10 watts and 100 watts, covering four to seven miles.

A study of any resulting economic impact or interference would be submitted to Congress so lawmakers could decide whether to introduce new legislation allowing the agency to authorize more micro-radio stations.

``The compromise legislation allows (low-power radio) to go forward, while minimizing interference for millions of radio listeners,'' said Edward O. Fritts, head of the National Association of Broadcasters, the industry's lobbying group.

The FCC also could license low-power stations in places where there is no need to relax existing buffers â€” primarily in areas of the country that don't have much congestion on the airwaves.

``This is the practical, rational way to achieve the laudable goal of compatibility between existing public radio stations and the new, low-power service,'' said Kevin Klose, president of National Public Radio. Klose and others had worried that low-power radio could disrupt reading services for the blind, which let newspapers, bus schedules and other text be narrated on special receivers.

But public interest advocates say the provision's practical effect is to cut by 80 percent the commission's low-power initiative, which would have authorized about 1,000 low-power stations. And they say the steps required to expand the program will prevent it from growing â€” particularly in a House and FCC dominated by Republicans.

``I think it's pretty clear that the strategy of the legislation was to stop low-power radio,'' said Cheryl Leanza, deputy director of the Media Access Project, a public interest firm. ``I don't think the goal was to lay groundwork for future legislation.''

She also decried the measure for belittling the FCC's technical expertise. The agency's engineers have done a range of tests on receivers â€” both traditional radio and those used for the special narration services for the visually impaired â€” to ensure that low-power radio would not cause harm.

The FCC continues to accept applications for the new service, even though it will be able to grant far fewer stations than it had anticipated. It is unclear when the first licenses will be awarded.

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On the Net: Federal Communications Commission: http://www.fcc.gov

National Association of Broadcasters: http://www.nab.org

Media Access Project: http://www.mediaaccess.org/

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