What Is LPFM?

Low Power FM – or LPFM -- stations are community-based, nonprofit radio stations that broadcast at the local level, to neighborhoods and small towns throughout the country.

Run by non-profits like colleges, churches, schools, labor unions and other community groups, LPFM stations provide local coverage, information and perspectives that are not available anywhere else. These non-commercial stations are uniquely positioned to meet local needs by:

• Giving a voice to local groups and people who otherwise lack access to the media.
  
• Offering a platform for discussing local issues.
• Providing news, information and viewpoints ignored by traditional media.
• Offering a training ground for students and others looking for a start in the radio business.
• Strengthening neighborhood and community identity.
• Issuing vital safety information during local emergencies.

LPFM stations may have a small broadcast range – they operate at 100 watts or less and have a broadcast reach of just a few miles – but their impact on local communities is immense. From the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts to Southwest Florida to the farming fields of the Pacific Northwest, LPFM stations are injecting a much-needed vibrancy into a radio dial gone stale from years of commercial consolidation.

Support LPFM! Tell Congress to Open Up the Radio Dial to More LPFM Stations.

Congress, the FCC and LPFM

After Congress first authorized LPFM stations in 2000, the Federal Communications Commission began to issue LPFM licenses, awarding more than 800 licenses to civil rights organizations, schools and church groups across the country.

Read About LPFM Success Stories

Soon after, Congress – under pressure from Big Media lobbyists – passed a misguided piece of legislation that radically reduced the radio spectrum available to LPFM stations because of claims of LPFM interference with signals from full power radio stations. Since then, thousands of applications for LPFM licenses have been blocked, preventing local communities from launching their own LPFM stations.

Congress ordered the FCC to study the issue, and, in 2003, the FCC released a $2 million study -- known as the "Mitre Report" -- which found that increasing the number of LPFM stations would not interfere with full power stations. The FCC then urged Congress to repeal the LPFM restrictions.

Now, new bipartisan legislation in the House (H.R. 1147) promises to open the radio dial to thousands of new LPFM stations across the country, bringing fresh music, local perspectives and community news to the public airwaves.

At the FCC

Free Press and allied organizations have submitted numerous comments to the FCC in support of expanding LPFM. Here are two of the most noteworthy:

2003 Comments on LPFM
Public interest groups including Free Press submitted these comments to the FCC, highlighting the value and diversity an LPFM station can contribute to a community. The organizations also cited an independent government study, known as the "Mitre Report," which found that LPFM stations do not cause interference with adjacent full-power broadcast stations. (October 2003)

LPFM Reply Comments
Public interest groups including Free Press urge the FCC to adopt proposed rules recognizing the importance of local programming and ensuring access to LPFM broadcasts. By adopting these rules, the FCC would help to ensure that communities are provided with broadcast service that meets their needs and interests. (April 2008)