The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

The Future of Music Coalition, a coalition of members of the music, technology, public policy, and intellectual property law communities, has launched a campaign to educate Americans about the role low-power FM (LPFM) radio plays in diversifying the airwaves, particularly since it provides the opportunity for more minority- and female-owned stations to receive licenses.

LPFM stations are non-commercial, community-based radio stations that operate at very low power and have a range of only a few miles.  They provide news and information that address specific interests of local communities and play an important role in broadcasting emergency information.  LPFM radio also supplies a platform for underserved musical genres, minority and religious groups, and offers a forum for debate about important local issues.

The coalition is pushing Congress to pass the Local Community Radio Act of 2009, which will lift the restrictions on the number of licenses the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) can give to LPFM stations.   In a recent report, LCCR said that lifting this restriction will provide an opportunity for greater diversity of ownership and content among LPFM radio stations.

In this video from the campaign, poet and activist Saul Williams talks about how community radio provides opportunities to hear different types of music and community-based information that you don't necessarily get from commercial radio.