US Congress Senate Bill 592 (Prior Session Legislation)

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Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 7-1-1)
Status: Introduced on March 12 2009 - 25% progression, died in chamber
Action: 2010-03-09 - Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 310.
Text: Latest bill text (Introduced) [PDF]

Local Community Radio Act of 2009 - Repeals provisions in the Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2001 that required the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to: (1) modify rules authorizing the operation of low-power FM radio stations to prescribe minimum distance separations for third-adjacent channels; (2) prohibit applicants who have engaged in the unlicensed operation of any station from obtaining a low-power FM license; and (3) conduct a program to test whether low-power FM radio stations will result in harmful interference to existing FM radio stations if minimum distance separations for third-adjacent channels are not required. Requires the FCC to modify the rules authorizing the operation of low-power FM radio stations, as proposed, to prohibit any applicant from obtaining a low-power FM license if the applicant has engaged in any manner in the unlicensed operation of a station. Requires the FCC to modify its rules to eliminate third-adjacent minimum distance separation requirements between specified FM stations. Requires the FCC to retain rules that provide third-adjacent channel protection for full-power noncommercial FM stations that broadcast radio reading services via a subcarrier frequency from potential low-power FM station interference. Requires the FCC, when licensing FM translator stations, to ensure that: (1) licenses are available to both FM translator stations and low-power FM stations; and (2) such decisions are made based on the needs of the local community. Requires the FCC to conduct an economic study on the impact that low-power FM stations will have on full-power commercial FM stations. Requires the FCC to retain its rules that provide third-adjacent channel protection for full-power FM stations that are licensed in significantly populated states with more than three million housing units and a population density greater than 1,000 per square mile land area.

Local Community Radio Act of 2009

Sen. Maria Cantwell [D-WA]	Sen. Richard Durbin [D-IL]	Sen. Russell Feingold [D-WI]	Sen. Patrick Leahy [D-VT]
Sen. John McCain [R-AZ]	Sen. Jeff Merkley [D-OR]	Sen. Bernard Sanders [I-VT]	Sen. Charles Schumer [D-NY]
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen [D-NH]

Date	Chamber	Action
2010-03-09		Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 310.
2010-03-09		Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Rockefeller with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 111-160.
2009-11-19		Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
2009-03-12		Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

HB1147 (Related) 2009-12-24 - Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
HB6533 (Related) 2011-01-04 - Became Public Law No: 111-371.

Type	Source
Summary	https://www.congress.gov/bill/111th-congress/senate-bill/592/all-info
Text	https://www.congress.gov/111/bills/s592/BILLS-111s592is.pdf
Text	https://www.congress.gov/111/bills/s592/BILLS-111s592rs.pdf