NPR President Kevin Klose says he fears that the low-power stations will cut into programs of reading to the blind. In March, his organization filed a petition for reconsideration and a motion to block the FCC initiative. She claims that public radio stations are more vulnerable to interference than Top 40 stations because the former have a wider range of loudness. The 274-110 vote was enough to override a possible veto from President Clinton. But the chances of getting a majority appear to be slim.
Legislators appear to be seeking a compromise.
In May, nine Democratic senators sought to advance that goal with a letter to colleagues also signed by Republican Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. It would set up a mechanism to help resolve interference problems and direct the FCC to remove and penalize any low-power station that causes unacceptable interference with an existing station. On June 8, Kerrey, a well known music fan, was joined at a press conference featuring the Indigo Girls, a folk singing duo, in support of low-power radio. Kerrey said approval of such stations would help many talented music groups that presently find it difficult to be heard on the air. McCain is the only Republican senator to fully endorse the LPFM concept.