Some of my previous comments have been misunderstood, so perhaps I did a lousy job of clearly expressing the opinion. I have no argument with Low Power FM radio stations. The problem is that many of the compliant stations are clobbered by the non-compliant blasters . . .
The "Low Power FM Service" (full definition below) has been instrumental in providing thousands of tiny signals to serve churches, minorities, schools, and social groups all across the country. It has blossomed like no other creation in the radio world. That is a noble and valuable aspect of LPFM, giving the Little Guy & Gal a new neighborhood voice.
The lack of effective FCC regulation has signaled a Green Light for many stations to transmit considerably above their licensed output power and/or antenna height limits thereby crowding out many of the honest operators that do comply with their licensed limits. This has caused interference to the point that listeners can hear multiple stations battling each other on car radios while driving down a local street. That calamity is not helpful to anyone and is most damaging to the stations that operate correctly. Examples of that problem have been stated on this site for years.
At the core of the issue, the real problem is not the FCC – the real problem is Congress because it has failed to provide funding levels that are necessary for the FCC to do its job. Many observers have pointed out that the FCC is woefully understaffed to meet the needs of regulating LPFM stations in a fair and comprehensive manner. For now, there’s not enough money to effectively regulate the thousands of Low Power FM radio stations.
Over the years, Congress is famous for creating government programs but not providing the support dollars to go with them. In the past, that type of law was called an “unfunded mandate.” Similarly, Congress has created an unfunded mandate for the FCC requiring it to do what it cannot do with current budget levels.
This funding shortage has provided the ultimate incentive for certain LPFMs to violate power output limits to steal more listeners from the compliant stations. If there’s no one to stop the violators, the Green Light (representing “go” and “the color of money”) provides too much incentive for them to boost output power well beyond licensed levels.
Illegal broadcast operations are only part of the problem. Another issue goes to the LPFM legal and regulatory structure. The FCC clearly states,
> “LPFM stations are not protected from interference that may be received from other classes of FM stations.”
This means that LPFMs suffer from double-trouble: They get no protection from other FM classes and get no protection from other illegally-powered LPFMs.
Congress created LPFM to be a new unique radio reach for smaller communities. Congress also dropped the ball on enforcement funding so that compliant players are drowned out by the non-compliant players. Realistically, the budget requirements to properly control the LPFM space are probably unattainable.
The concept of LPFM service is excellent, but the reality has been a mess. LPFM service is subject to excessive reception interference; some originates from illegal operators, and some from unfunded enforcement protections to rid the space of those illegal operators.
[“The Low Power FM (LPFM) radio service was created by the Commission in January 2000. LPFM stations are authorized for noncommercial educational broadcasting only (no commercial operation) and operate with an effective radiated power (ERP) of 100 watts (0.1 kilowatts) or less” with maximum antenna height of 30 meters (100 feet) above average terrain (HAAT). “The approximate service range of a 100 watt LPFM station is 5.6 kilometers (3.5 miles radius).”]
--- https://www.fcc.gov/media/radio/lpfm
The "Low Power FM Service" (full definition below) has been instrumental in providing thousands of tiny signals to serve churches, minorities, schools, and social groups all across the country. It has blossomed like no other creation in the radio world. That is a noble and valuable aspect of LPFM, giving the Little Guy & Gal a new neighborhood voice.
The lack of effective FCC regulation has signaled a Green Light for many stations to transmit considerably above their licensed output power and/or antenna height limits thereby crowding out many of the honest operators that do comply with their licensed limits. This has caused interference to the point that listeners can hear multiple stations battling each other on car radios while driving down a local street. That calamity is not helpful to anyone and is most damaging to the stations that operate correctly. Examples of that problem have been stated on this site for years.
At the core of the issue, the real problem is not the FCC – the real problem is Congress because it has failed to provide funding levels that are necessary for the FCC to do its job. Many observers have pointed out that the FCC is woefully understaffed to meet the needs of regulating LPFM stations in a fair and comprehensive manner. For now, there’s not enough money to effectively regulate the thousands of Low Power FM radio stations.
Over the years, Congress is famous for creating government programs but not providing the support dollars to go with them. In the past, that type of law was called an “unfunded mandate.” Similarly, Congress has created an unfunded mandate for the FCC requiring it to do what it cannot do with current budget levels.
This funding shortage has provided the ultimate incentive for certain LPFMs to violate power output limits to steal more listeners from the compliant stations. If there’s no one to stop the violators, the Green Light (representing “go” and “the color of money”) provides too much incentive for them to boost output power well beyond licensed levels.
Illegal broadcast operations are only part of the problem. Another issue goes to the LPFM legal and regulatory structure. The FCC clearly states,
> “LPFM stations are not protected from interference that may be received from other classes of FM stations.”
This means that LPFMs suffer from double-trouble: They get no protection from other FM classes and get no protection from other illegally-powered LPFMs.
Congress created LPFM to be a new unique radio reach for smaller communities. Congress also dropped the ball on enforcement funding so that compliant players are drowned out by the non-compliant players. Realistically, the budget requirements to properly control the LPFM space are probably unattainable.
The concept of LPFM service is excellent, but the reality has been a mess. LPFM service is subject to excessive reception interference; some originates from illegal operators, and some from unfunded enforcement protections to rid the space of those illegal operators.
[“The Low Power FM (LPFM) radio service was created by the Commission in January 2000. LPFM stations are authorized for noncommercial educational broadcasting only (no commercial operation) and operate with an effective radiated power (ERP) of 100 watts (0.1 kilowatts) or less” with maximum antenna height of 30 meters (100 feet) above average terrain (HAAT). “The approximate service range of a 100 watt LPFM station is 5.6 kilometers (3.5 miles radius).”]
--- https://www.fcc.gov/media/radio/lpfm
