Today the Boston Globe stood up for low power FM radio – by publishing an editorial calling for Congressional support of the Local Community Radio Act. This comes just after their June 12th story on a low-power radio station in Dorchester, Mass., that has been fined $17,000 by the FCC for broadcasting illegally.

Though Free Press does not condone illegal broadcasting, it is clear that stations like TOUCH-FM are risking these exorbitant fines because the radio dial is failing to serve its purpose -- to serve the public in exchange for exclusive use of the airwaves.

TOUCH-FM calls itself “the Fabric of the Black Community” and is the only station serving the interests and needs of its surrounding neighborhood. The station refuses to play music that degrades women, is committed to playing profanity-free music, and serves as a platform for discussing issues that matter to Boston residents.

As someone who grew up in the eastern half of Massachusetts listening to the Boston area radio market, I remember learning at a very young age that the best radio comes from smaller, noncommercial broadcasters. The stations I could get were barely audible, but they were tiny flickers of new music and ideas completely absent from the commercial dial. It was worth straining to hear those distant towers to break outside of the sterilized playlists and hear programming superior to the monotony of the corporate stations.

Millions of public dollars have been spent disproving the false claims of interference from LPFMs. We’re talking about stations of 100 watts or less. Hundreds of communities across the country are waiting for their legislators to support the Local Community Radio Act, which boasts nearly 90 co-sponsors (including both presidential candidates) in the House and in the Senate. All communities deserve radio that represents them and serves their needs, and Congress must authorize the FCC to expand this important opportunity for radio across America.

Have your Senators and Representatives signed on to support the Local Community Radio Act? Check them out at OpenCongress and tell them to take action.