In the May 26 edition of Seven Days, Sen. Patrick Leahy publicly expressed his support for S. 592, the Local Community Radio Act, a piece of legislation that will increase the diversity of voices on our nation's radio airwaves. This bill will lift limitations on Low Power FM radio, and create hundreds of low-power community radio stations across Vermont and the whole country. As the president of the board of directors of ORCA Media Inc., Montpelier's public access station, I am keenly aware of the implications of this legislation, and I commend the senator for his strong stand on this issue: community media has long served, and will continue to serve, the people of Vermont with the local programming and diverse perspectives that are so critical to the health of our communities. The senator's recent assurance to the Seven Days writer that this long-overdue legislation expanding community media resources "will pass soon" is welcome (and local) news.

If you aren't yet familiar with them, Low Power FMs (LPFMs) are community-based, non-commercial radio stations that are revitalizing the airwaves from Brattleboro to Boise. In Vermont, LPFMs have been incredibly successful since the FCC first introduced the service in 2000, and feature grassroots radio with local talent, like the teenagers producing radio after school on WOMM-LP (The Radiator) in Burlington, and nationally renowned architect David Sellers' weekly show "Sprawl Talk" on WMRW-LP (The Voice of the Valley) in Warren.

That's just a tiny slice of the eclecticism — and the potential — of LPFM. Because of their low power and low cost, building and operating an LPFM station is well within the reach of most communities; indeed, most LPFMs are powered by volunteers. They are owned by nonprofit organizations: community groups, churches, and schools — the local groups that best understand the needs of their communities. They can give politicians and community leaders a forum for dialogue on local issues, provide musicians an outlet for their work, and offer students unique broadcast training opportunities — and during emergencies, they broadcast essential information. Low Power FM is a natural counterpart to Public Access TV: many PEG stations across the country own LPFMs, creating multi-media community production and education centers for the cities and towns lucky enough to have them. Public access stations, Low Power FMs are crucial outlets for discussing local issues, airing diverse perspectives, showcasing homegrown talent, and contributing to democratic participation and community engagement. More communications tools in the hands of communities fosters a more connected and more creative Vermont. This bill, similar to H.R. 3745, the Community Access Preservation Act, which would guarantee that public television channels are treated the same as others, gives public media a fair chance and benefits everyone.

Low-power radio enjoys support from a broad coalition of organizations, from the National Association of Evangelicals to the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, as well as bipartisan support in Congress — the Local Community Radio Act passed the House overwhelmingly last December. Low power community radio could be a unifying force, one of the few issues on which Democrats and Republicans have come together from across the aisle. And better yet, expanding LPFM won't cost taxpayers a dime.

In fact, taxpayers already spent $2.2 million on a technical study to prove to Congress that Low Power FM wouldn't interfere with existing radio stations. The Federal Communications Commission has repeatedly urged Congress to implement the results of this study and repeal restrictions on licensing LPFM stations. As Sen. Leahy so admirably intimated, it's time for Congress to pass the Local Community Radio Act.

Vermont's other congressional members have also stood up for this issue. Sen. Sanders, a longtime ally of community media, is a co-sponsor of the bill, and Rep. Welch co-sponsored the already approved House version. This support reflects Vermont's leading role in building community-based approaches to media. Now is the time for our representatives to show the rest of the country what creative, local, community-based media is doing for communities in Vermont, and convince their colleagues to expand Low Power FM radio by passing the Local Community Radio Act.



John Bloch is the president of the board of directors of ORCA Media Inc.