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 STATEMENT  OF  CHAIRMAN  WILLIAM  E.  KENNARD 
 Re:  Memorandum  Opinion  and  Order  on  Reconsideration,  In  the  Matter  of  Creation 
 of  Low  Power  Radio  Service  (MM  Docket  No.  99-  25) 


 I  am  very  pleased  that  we  have  taken  the  next  step  in  creating  room  on  the  dial  for 
 real  community  radio  of,  for,  and  by  the  people.  By  the  end  of  the  year,  I  am  confident 
 that  Low  Power  FM  Radio  service  will  provide  wonderful  opportunities  for  schools, 
 churches,  and  other  local  organizations  to  use  the  public  airwaves  to  make  their  voices 
 heard.  We  have  already  received  close  to  1200  LPFM  radio  applications  from  the  first  20 
 states  to  file. 


 I  have  always  been  confident  that  LPFM  can  be  implemented  without  disturbing 
 the  integrity  of  the  existing  FM  service.  In  order  to  address  the  concerns  raised  by  the 
 operators  of  radio  reading  services  that  serve  millions  of  blind  and  low  vision  listeners, 
 the  Commission  changed  the  LPFM  licensing  scheme  to  refrain  from  licensing  LPFM 
 stations  on  frequencies  third  adjacent  to  radio  reading  services. 


 In  response  to  the  concerns  of  existing  FM  broadcasters,  including  National 
 Public  Radio,  the  Commission  has  established  an  enforcement  procedure  that  will  allow 
 for  the  expedited  resolution  of  any  unexpected  significant  interference.  Finally,  we 
 modified  the  rules  to  make  certain  student  groups  eligible  for  LPFM  stations  and  to  better 
 serve  the  needs  of  public  safety  and  transportation  authorities. 


 These  changes  strengthen  the  LPFM  service.  Each  of  these  radio  services  are 
 important  to  America,  and  I  believe  that  these  services  can  co-  exist  and  flourish  to  the 
 benefit  of  American  communities. 
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