Date sent:        Thu, 22 Jan 1998 18:04:55 -0500
From:             mediumwave@geocities.com (Crash Knorr)
Subject:          FCC petitioned to allow microbroadcasting

Two interesting Petitions for Rule Making have been filed with the FCC.

The first is written by Nickolas E. Leggett, Judith F. Leggett
and Donald J. Schellhardt.  The FCC received it in July, 1997.
It proposes establishing a licensed service of low power AM and
FM stations having enough power to cover one to several square
miles.

The second is written by Richard K. Harrison.  The FCC received it
in November, 1997.  It proposes an increase in the "Part 15" power
limits for unlicensed transmissions in the AM and FM bands, but
only for non-commercial and locally originated broadcasts.

If you want to support these proposals, it would be a good idea
(IMHO) to study the biographies and statements of the FCC Commissioners
at www.fcc.gov and send original, hand-written letters to those
Commissioners who might be receptive.  It's my understanding that
when a group of people cut-and-paste identical statements and send
them in en masse, those comments are dismissed as the work of
extremist and "rent-a-mob" groups.  The Commission hardly ever hears
from the general public, and some intelligent and heartfelt comments
on this matter _might_ make an impression on some of the Commissioners.

It might also be worthwhile to contact any Senators or Representatives
who seem like they might be receptive, and urge them to support these
proposals.

There are no guarantees of success, needless to say.

One more petition needs to be mentioned.  ACAMBA, a group of commercial
AM radio station owners, is seeking permission to use FM translators to
relay the signals of weaker AM stations.  If approved, this proposal
would result in many (if not all) of the FM channels that are suitable
for low power broadcasting getting gobbled up by commercial interests.