Source: United States Senator for Wyoming John Barrasso
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) led their colleagues in reintroducing the bipartisan Local Radio Freedom Act.
The Local Radio Freedom Act is a bipartisan resolution that underscores the critical importance of locally owned radio stations to families, small businesses, and our communities. It also declares that Congress should not impose any new performance fee, tax, royalty, or other charges for locally-owned radio stations.
“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 100 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 programming 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.”
“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.”
“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 National Association of Broadcasters’ 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 150 members of Congress that have already signed onto this critical resolution this year and stood alongside broadcast radio and our tens of millions of listeners.”
Cosponsors include U.S. Senators John Boozman (R-Ark.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Angus King (I-Maine), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), and Todd Young (R-Ind.).
Full text of the resolution can be found here.
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