The demonstration of low-power civil disobedience hasn’t even begun yet, but the FCC is now well-warned of WNFC’s existence and plans. Last night organizer Stacie Trescott served on a panel with Commissioners Jonathan Adelstein and Michael Copps at a town hall meeting on the future of media in Dearborn, Michigan.
Trescott’s place on the panel gave her five minutes to talk about the need for the expansion of LPFM – and how the pending proposal to do so won’t help her community.
She pulled no punches:
Civil disobedience must always be the option of last resort. However, we have exhausted every avenue. Our mayor, council, state reps and others agree we are justified in launching Radio Free Ferndale, and they will appear on the air with us.
To demonstrate our respect for the authority of the FCC, we will conduct a two-week demonstration of what local radio can and should be like, and then we will voluntarily go off the air….
Perhaps the problem with consolidation is summed up best in the old African proverb[:] “When the elephants fight, the grass gets trampled.”
We’re patient, peaceful, and we refuse to abandon our dignity. But we’re tired of being trampled on.
We are taking back our airwaves.
This is the third time sitting Commissioners have been directly confronted by microbroadcast activists. Free Press will likely offer a summary of the events at a later date, which may include audio and video. It’ll be interesting to see/hear how Copps and Adelstein responded (we already know one is down with the revolution).