Key Initiatives for the Future of Community Broadcasters

Speaking at the 35th Annual Community Radio Conference, Federal Communications Commission member Mignon Clyburn talked about community radio as an essential piece of the American experience.

She noted, "In an age where the Internet has done an incredible job of bringing the world to our doorsteps, it has not yet done the same - nor are there indications of if and when it will - for local news and information. Most of us know where to find national or international news on the Web... But if you really want to know what is going on in your local community, where do you turn? For most of us, it certainly is not the Internet. Sure, there are so-called "hyper-local" Web sites here and there that provide important neighborhood information. But this is the exception, and not the rule. And while someday, the Internet may be able to reliably link us all to our local communities, today is not that day."