wfn.org | UCC leader urges support of low power radio

[powellb@ucc.org]

March 18, 2000
Office of Communication
United Church of Christ
Andrea Vargas, press contact
(503) 236-0527
<microradioproject@ucc.org>
Barb Powell, press contact
(216) 736-2217
<powellb@ucc.org>
On the Web: <http://www.ucc.org>

[Editors: see full text of statement at end]

Protestant church leader urges support of FCC plan
promoting community low power radio stations

     CLEVELAND -- The leader of a Protestant
communication office known for its advocacy work in
telecommunications today (March 18) released a statement
condemning efforts by some members of Congress and the
national broadcasting industry to eliminate a new plan for
establishing low power FM community radio stations.
     "The Federal Communications Commission has
initiated a process to give voice to historically marginalized
groups" via licensing of low power stations, said the Rev.
Robert Chase, Executive Director of the United Church of
Christ Office of Communication.  "We feel that the voice of
the people must be heard and that any legislative device to
eliminate low power radio before applications can even be
received is shortsighted and discriminatory."
     Since the FCC authorized low power radio in January,
a "groundswell has emerged from across the country" as many
groups are preparing to begin the application process for low
power licenses, says Chase.  However, current bills in the U.S.
House and Senate -- HR 3439 and S 2068 -- and riders on a
supplemental appropriations bill are attempting to eliminate
microradio service before it begins. Hearings on the
appropriations bill begin Tuesday, March 21.
     Those opposed to microradio claim that such stations
would interfere with those already operating.  "Microradio is
being portrayed by some as a misguided endeavor that will
choke the airways with a cacophony of babble.  This is unfair
and inaccurate," said Chase.  "Significant technical studies
demonstrate otherwise, as conservative safeguards for current
station operators have been built into the FCC guidelines.
     The FCC ruling allows for two classes of low power
radio service: LP100 stations, those between 50 and 100 watts
which will reach approximately a 7-mile diameter; and LP10
stations, which operate between 1 and 10 watts and will reach
a diameter of about 2-to-4 miles.  The low power stations will
be noncommercial, and stations may be located where open
frequencies exist on the FM band, not just on the lower
portion where most noncommercial stations are now.
     Among those who have already taken the initial steps
in planning for a low power license are Simple Living, a
coalition of social service and community projects in
Columbus, Ohio; the Ministerial Alliance of Colby, Kan.,
which works with the aging, rural population of that area; a
flood alert system in Guerneville, Calif.; and others.
     To aid community and church groups in starting
microradio stations, the UCC Office of Communication has
created the Microradio Implementation Project, a national
effort based in Portland, Ore.  Microradio also has the support
of many religious and community groups, including the U.S.
Catholic Conference, Catholic Communication Campaign,
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Forum on
Communication Policy, Indian Country Communications,
Institute for Public Representation, Low Power Radio
Coalition, Media Access Project, National Council of
Churches, National Council of Lakota Civil Rights, National
Lawyers Guild, United Methodist Church, and others.
     The United Church of Christ, with national offices in
Cleveland, has some 1.4 million members and more than
6,000 local congregations in the United States and Puerto
Rico.  It was formed by the 1957 union of the Congregational
Christian Churches and the Evangelical and Reformed
Church.  Its Office of Communication has long defended the
public's rights in telecommunications.  Its successes include a
1964 challenge to the license renewal of the most powerful
TV station in the South for discrimination against African
Americans and a 1968 petition to get the FCC to issue EEO
rules.  Today, its work includes efforts in microradio and in
assuring quality children's programming on television.

                  # # #

[EDITORS and PRODUCERS: Here is the complete text of the
statement released today, March 18, 2000, by the Rev. Robert
Chase, Executive Director of the United Church of Christ
Office of Communication, in support of low power radio
stations.]

     "The United Church of Christ Office of
Communication is actively supporting church-based and
community organizations in establishing low-power radio
stations.
     "Despite attempts by several members of Congress and
the national broadcasting industry to squash these efforts, a
groundswell has emerged from across the country, as more
than 60 groups from Maine to California are in the initial
stages of the application process.  These include Simple
Living, a coalition of social service and community projects in
Columbus, Ohio; the Ministerial Alliance of Colby, Kan.,
which works with the aging, rural population of that area; the
Beartooth Front Community Forum in Red Lodge, Mont., a
community information service that links remote communities
together; and a flood alert system in Guerneville, Calif.,
among others.
     "We see this as a justice issue.  The Federal
Communications Commission has initiated a process to give
voice to historically marginalized groups who have been
further pushed to the edges by the unprecedented
consolidation of radio station ownership since passage of the
Telecommunications Act of 1996.
     "With some urgency, we seek to give voice to the
voiceless as current legislative attempts to eliminate this
service before it even begins are underway via U.S. Senate
Bill 2068 and U.S. House or Representatives Bill HR 3439,
and through riders to an upcoming supplemental
appropriations bill.  Our advocacy in this regard is consistent
with the historical legacy of the UCC Office of
Communication, acting on behalf of all citizens having access
to the media.
     "We join with our ecumenical partners -- the Catholic
Conference, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the
National Council of Churches, the United Methodist Church
and others -- to offer concrete assistance to local groups
seeking to undertake this service.  The United Church of
Christ has established a national Microradio Implementation
Project, based in Portland, Ore., under the leadership of
Andrea Vargas. This concerted effort is assisting a growing
list of local leaders in the application process by offering
technical, legal, organizational and programmatic expertise.
     "Microradio is being portrayed by some as a misguided
endeavor that will choke the airways with a cacophony of
babble.  This is unfair and inaccurate.  Significant technical
studies demonstrate otherwise, as conservative safeguards for
current station operators have been built into the FCC
guidelines.
     "We feel that the voice of the people must be heard and
that any legislative device to eliminate low-power radio before
applications can even be received is shortsighted and
discriminatory.  Such an attempt, if successful, will indeed
choke the airways -- not with the harmonious tones of
democracy, but with the stifling silence that comes with the
increasing consolidation of power."

                   # # #