Abstract
The most heated broadcasting issue of the year 2000 was the fight over low-power FM radio. The rise and fall of the proposed service reflected the state of the art in telecommunication policymaking, and provided a snapshot of power relations among broadcasters, the FCC, Congress, and citizen activists. For public radio managers with long institutional memories, however, the low-power FM debate seems a bit ironic. That's because a similar low-power service did exist, but was permitted to languish by broadcasters and regulators. This paper provides a comparative analysis of the former Class D FM and the contemporary debate.
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