In Miami, an unlicensed dance music station called The Womb, 107.9 FM, broadcasts live over the Internet and has and a recording studio and on-line record store to retail tracks by its young dj's. As the micropower movement grows, so does its legitimacy. But as the only locally programmed radio station between Austin and San Antonio, it's become a beacon for politicians seeking to air their views. Texas congressman Ron Paul and Senator Paul Wellstone have been guests on the morning call-in show, as have the leading candidates for state attorney general and the former chair of Texas Republican Party. Though city hall originally tried to close the station, San Marcos' mayor Billy Moore is now an avid supporter.
Commercial broadcasters are increasingly alarmed.
Yet efforts by authorities to clamp down seem to be backfiring. If there's anarchy on the airwaves, the feds have only themselves to blame. Prior to 1980, students and nonprofits used to be able to apply for a Class D license, which allowed them to broadcast at 10 watts. Tighter federal restrictions on local and noncommercial broadcasting were coupled with increasing deregulation in the commercial sector, culminating in the 1996 Telecommunications Act. That bill raised the limit on the number of radio stations a single broadcaster could own in one market from four to eight, while eliminating caps on the number of stations that can be owned nationwide.