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Sample Resolution!
This resolution, drafted by Tom Ness, can be used as a template, as you encourage your city council to stand up for Low Power FM!
CITY OF FERNDALE RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF LOW POWER FM RADIO
WHEREAS, in 1999 the City of Ferndale passed a resolution urging the
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to create a Low Power FM (LPFM)
radio service in order to give community groups greater access to the
public airwaves. Through that resolution the City of Ferndale joined a
national movement of citizens fighting for democratic access to the
increasingly corporate-controlled media;
and WHEREAS, in January 2000 the FCC responded to the overwhelming public
pressure to democratize the radio airwaves by creating the LPFM service.
The service was designed to allow community groups to launch
non-commercial, 100-watt radio stations in order to increase diversity of
programming on the airwaves;
and WHEREAS, in December 2000 Congress, under intense pressure from
corporate broadcasters, passed the Radio Broadcasting Preservation Act,
which severely curtailed the new LPFM service, with the result that 80% of
opportunities for new stations were lost. Urban areas were particularly
affected by the Act, with the result that, of the fifty largest American
cities, only one now qualifies to receive an LPFM license. This is
particularly egregious because the service is particularly well-suited for
densely populated urban areas, in which an LPFM station's small signal can
reach a large amount of people;
and WHEREAS, in July 2003 the FCC released an independent study
commissioned by Congress to determine whether LPFM stations interfere with
existing broadcasters. The study authors, engineers at the MITRE
Corporation, not only found that LPFM stations cause no significant
interference to existing stations; they also recommended that the LPFM
service be restored to the form originally given it by the FCC. Restoring
the service to its original form would mean that thousands more community
groups across the country - including in our cities - would have access to
the airwaves;
and WHEREAS, the public is increasingly concerned about corporate control
of the media, as evidenced by the thousands of citizens who voiced their
outrage over the FCC's June 2nd vote to further deregulate media
ownership;
THEREFORE, let it be resolved, that the City of Ferndale urges Congress to
give the FCC authority to restore the LPFM service to its original
mandate, and to do all within its power to ensure that license
applications are processed quickly, and that citizens are given the
opportunity to access the public airwaves.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that copies of this resolution be sent to the
Federal Communications Commission, the entire Michigan Congressional
delegation and the lobbyist for the City of Ferndale.
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Contact your Congressperson!
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