My grandfather, the late U.S. Senator Dennis Chavez, taught me that one of the most important things we can do as public servants is to give a voice to the voiceless. That's why low power radio is so important. We all know about the massive consolidation in the radio industry over the past several years, and that smaller, community- based organizations are finding it more and more difficult to get access to the public airwaves.
Low power is a partial antidote that problem.
It promotes localism and diversity not by limiting the rights of existing users, but by adding new voices to the mix. Providing an outlet for new voices to serve their communities is why I'm proud to support low power radio. I want to commend Chairman Kennard for his vision and his passion on this issue. But most of all, I want to commend the thousands of Americans around the country who made low power radio a reality. This is a grass-roots movement that refused to give up even with some powerful interests lined up against them.