Wednesday’s FCC raid of rfb doesn’t seemed to have affected the positive support for the station in the city of Brattleboro. The local paper chimes in with cautious support for the station, without necessarily endorsing unlicensed broadcasting as a whole, nor letting the FCC off the hook:
Granted, the station operated outside the law. Simply put, rfb didn’t have an FCC license. And that’s illegal. But so are some sit-ins and certain acts of civil disobedience, and many of those led to landmark changes in faulty laws and the way government does business. …
We don’t advocate every fellow with a microphone and an antenna challenge authorities on the airwaves or flout the law, but rfb’s point has been a valid one: The FCC had no licensing provisions, and therefore rendered it illegal, for a low-power FM radio station even if the community wanted it. …
We suspect it cost the monolithic FCC far more money and time to fight this puny, 10-watt radio station than it was worth. It would have been far more cost-effective if the FCC had provisions in place for a low-power FM license in 1998. But that’s progress for you…
Of course I do advocate that “every fellow with a microphone and an antenna” get out there and broadcast. Albeit, responsibly, without interfering with other stations nor causing interference on adjacent electronic devices like phones, TVs and stereos.
At the level of 10 watts that can be done, and done easily with a little thought and preparation. If only the likes of Clear Channel extended as much consideration for local communities and neighbors as most unlicensed stations do.