MAIN Action Alert!!

Two bills in Congress that are critical to our rural area are being marked up TODAY (10-30-07) by the Senate Commerce Committee:

Community Broadband Act of 2007 (S.1853/HR.3281): http://www.freepress.net/communityinternet/=US

The CBA would prohibit the cable and telco companies from passing state laws to block public/private partnerships to bring high-speed Internet to rural areas.

Local Community Radio Act of 2007 (S. 1675/HR. 2802): http://freepress.net/lpfm/

The LCRA would expand nonprofit low-power FM radio licenses to help return local voices to the airwaves.

Both of these laws are critical to the economic and community development future of western North Carolina!

Below are the Capitol phone numbers and website addresses for our members of Congress. Other contact info is available on each website. Please call AND email our members of Congress asap!! And share this post with your friends and neighbors in WNC!

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole: (202) 224-6342 Web: http://dole.senate.gov/

U.S. Sen. Richard Burr: (202) 224-3154 Web: http://burr.senate.gov/

U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler: (202) 225-6401 Web: http://shuler.house.gov/

Also, this week MAIN is having its fall on-air fund drive for WPVM, 103.5 FM, our community radio station which has been so instrumental in returning local voices to the airwaves in the Asheville area. Please visit WPVM and make a tax-deductible donation! http://www.wpvm.org

Thanks for your support of local Internet and independent media here in western North Carolina!!

MAIN Board, Staff and Volunteers