What Is LPFM?

Low Power FM radio -- or LPFM -- describes local, nonprofit radio stations that operate at 100 watts or less and have a broadcast reach of only a few miles.

These local stations meet community needs by providing news and perspectives overlooked by commercial radio. They also offer media access to neighborhood residents and provide a platform for discussing local issues.

Learn more about LPFM and our "Local Radio Now" campaign.

Since Congress first authorized LPFM stations in 2000, the Federal Communications Commission has awarded more than 800 LPFM licenses to civil rights organizations, schools and church groups.

But thousands more applications for LPFM licenses have been blocked, preventing local communities from setting up their own LPFM stations. Under pressure from Big Media lobbyists, legislators limited LPFM stations to rural areas because of claims they might interfere with signals from full-power stations.

Congress ordered the FCC to study the issue, and, in 2003, the FCC released a $2 million, taxpayer-funded study -- known as the "MITRE Report" -- which found that increasing the number of LPFM stations would not interfere with full-power stations. The FCC then urged Congress to repeal the LPFM restrictions.

In Congress

On June 21, 2007, Reps. Mike Doyle (D-Penn.) and Lee Terry (R-Neb.) and Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) introduced the Local Community Radio Act (H.R. 2802 / S. 1675).

This important bill would open the radio dial by allowing new LPFM stations in cities, towns and suburbs across the country. It would clear space for independent and local programming that will bring needed diversity and local voices back to the airwaves.

At the FCC

Free Press and allied organizations have submitted numerous comments to the FCC in support of expanding LPFM. Here are two of the most noteworthy:

2003 Comments on LPFM
Public interest groups including Free Press submitted these comments to the FCC, highlighting the value and diversity an LPFM station can contribute to a community. The organizations also cited an independent government study, known as the "Mitre Report," which found that LPFM stations do not cause interference with adjacent full-power broadcast stations. (October 2003)

LPFM Reply Comments
Public interest groups including Free Press urge the FCC to adopt proposed rules recognizing the importance of local programming and ensuring access to LPFM broadcasts. By adopting these rules, the FCC would help to ensure that communities are provided with broadcast service that meets their needs and interests. (April 2008)