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Halfway Dead (II)
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The Revised Bill - Nuts & Bolts The entire arguments on the House Floor, both pro and con, were performed by about two dozen lawmakers. The overwhelming number were in support of the anti-LPFM bill. What the House voted on was what many politicians called a "compromise" piece of legislation. Instead of banning LPFM stations outright, the modified "Radio Broadcasting Preservation Act" would severely curtail its availability. Probably the most significant change reinstates the interference policies the FCC relaxed to fit more LPFM stations on the band, and makes those interference policies a law - which then can only be changed by Congress. In effect, this new version of the bill makes Congress the spectrum police for the FM band now, not the FCC. By reinstating the third-adjacent channel interference requirements, the number of available open channels for LPFM stations has been cut dramatically. Instead of having the ability to fit hundreds of new stations on the dial, the anti-LPFM bill will allow around 70 - *nationwide*. The revised bill would allow a test run of the scaled-back LPFM service in nine markets of the United States. These "experimental LPFM stations" would be monitored by an "independent testing entity" to measure any potential interference they might generate, and a report on that interference would be due to Congress by February 1, 2001. But: Even if the "LPFM tests" prove to cause little or no interference, Congress would still have to give the okay for a further rollout of LPFM. It can even decide, despite successful tests, to revoke the licenses of those LPFM stations that helped conduct them. What do you think are the chances of Congress approving a further expansion of something its puppetmasters on this issue didn't originally want anyway? In effect, the new "Radio Broadcasting Preservation Act" passed by the House just about condemns LPFM to die a slow death - and the plug could be officially pulled next February. Next Page --> The Arguments --> Page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 |