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Federal Communications Commission
445 12th Street, S.W.
Washington, D. C.  20554
This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action.  Release of the full text of a Commission order
constitutes official action.  See MCI v. FCC. 515 F 2d 385 (D.C. Circ 1974).
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NEWS MEDIA CONTACT:
January 5, 2011 Joshua Cinelli at (202) 418-2000
STATEMENT OF COMMISSIONER MICHAEL J. COPPS LAUDING THE 
SIGNING OF THE LOCAL COMMUNITY RADIO ACT
I have been waiting for this day for a long, long time! Enactment of the Local 
Community Radio Act gives local radio stations, grassroots media, and consumers nationwide 
genuine cause to celebrate. Thanks to this legislation, more than 160 million people underserved 
by local power FM will be able to reap the benefits of these stations. This means potentially 
many new opportunities for local and independent broadcasters to provide truly local and 
independent programming—and to be heard.
In this day of way-too-much media consolidation, stifling program homogenization, and 
the decimation of local news, new voices are critically important to sustaining America’s civic 
dialogue and citizen engagement.
It has taken real leadership to get this done. I would like especially to thank Reps. Mike 
Doyle (D-PA) and Lee Terry (R-NE) for sponsoring this Bill and working so effectively for its 
House passage. On the Senate side, Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Sen. John McCain (R-
AZ) offered bipartisan leadership on this issue. Of course the leadership of the House and 
Senate Commerce committees under Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) and Rep. Henry Waxman (D-
CA) was also key to this successful outcome. 
How fitting that, as we begin the new year, we can turn the page on years of waiting to 
celebrate a victory for independent media voices and consumers nationwide. 
- FCC -