Senate Introduces Local Radio Freedom Act

RADIO ONLINE | Thursday, March 9, 2023 | 4:06pm CT

U.S. Congress

A bipartisan coalition of 20 senators led by Sens. Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and John Barrasso (R-WY) introduced a resolution on Thursday opposing "any new performance fee, tax, royalty or other charge" on local broadcast radio stations. The Local Radio Freedom Act (LRFA) signals policymakers' opposition to any potential legislation that would impose new performance fees on broadcast radio stations for music airplay.

"America's hometown broadcasters are grateful for the strong support of the LRFA in Congress, and we thank Sens. Hassan and Barrasso for leading the charge on this issue in the Senate," said NAB President and CEO Curtis LeGeyt. "A new job-crushing performance fee on local radio stations would hurt stations' ability to provide their free, essential service in communities across the country. We appreciate the more than 170 members of Congress that are standing alongside broadcast radio and our tens of millions of listeners by signing onto this critical resolution this year."

"Granite Staters regularly tune in to their local radio station to catch up on the news around the state, listen to music and stories, and get weather and emergency alerts," said Senator Hassan. "I am glad to stand with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in supporting listeners and broadcasters alike. We will keep working to ensure that our local radio stations are able to continue providing vital information and entertainment to communities across our country."

"People across Wyoming depend on local radio stations for timely information, news and programming that have a direct impact on their lives," said Senator Barrasso. "For more than 80 years, radio stations and the recording industry have enjoyed a mutually beneficial relationship: free airplay for free promotion. If forced to pay a performance royalty, broadcasters will have to make cuts to important programing in order to make ends meet. I'm proud to join Senator Hassan in reintroducing our bipartisan legislation to block any new performance tax on broadcasters across the country."