Larry Thomas

The Capital (Annapolis, MD)

Over the course of just a few days last month, our region experienced an unprecedented series of natural disasters.

While a rare earthquake did not result in any injuries or serious damage, Hurricane Irene caused fatalities and billions of dollars in destruction. Yet both events disrupted communication lines for millions in our area. Furthermore, both underscored the fact that in public emergencies, radio is still the most reliable way for people to access important information.

Radio remains accessible when other modes of communication go down in emergencies. As millions of us evacuated our homes and offices during the shocking earthquake, we fruitlessly attempted to use our smart phones to reach out to loved ones and find out exactly what had happened.

But we were stymied by failed cellular signals, a predictable result of user overload in a crisis. I was only able to get reliable information from a local radio station. This information was relayed to facility managers and Homeland Security personnel as our emergency personnel had no access to cellular networks and landline communication. All these normal communication channels were overloaded and unreliable.

In the aftermath of Irene, more than one million customers in the Washington, D.C., area and 850,000 in Maryland lost power and all the communication devices that come with it. Public safety authorities know that radio is the single most reliable outlet for information, which is why a battery-operated radio is so important and always part of any preparedness kit recommended by every organization from local agencies to FEMA and the Red Cross.

Despite radio’s clear relevance to our safety in natural disasters, some are advocating for a policy that would curb its reach. More specifically, the recording industry is lobbying for a performance tax on stations that would levy fees for playing labels’ songs. Radio stations already pay royalties to music publishers and song writers, and this new tax would be a burden to stations that are already under financial pressure.

Radio stations operate under tight margins; therefore any adverse policy change will affect stations’ ability to stay in business. In addition to serving as the lifeblood of emergency communication, they also provide jobs and play a day-to-day role in the lives their communities. There is every reason to support radio stations’ continued existence rather than put them in jeopardy, especially in the wake of a recession and natural disasters.

Fortunately, performance tax legislation has not been formally introduced in Congress this session. But legislation could still come thanks to the persistence of the recording industry. It is now up to our representatives on Capitol Hill such as Representatives Steny Hoyer and Chris Van Hollen to comprehend radio’s tie with public safety and fight against policies that would come between that.

The Local Radio Freedom Act is a resolution that serves as a countermeasure to the performance tax and is therefore the ideal legislation for radio’s supporters to champion.

Local radio is most important to local communities for more than just emergency announcements and communication during disasters. They provide an outlet for normal community messaging and activities such as local sports, community events, special events, local business advertising, etc. Where would this happen if local radio was not available?

In Maryland, we are privileged to have brave and competent emergency first-responders and leaders who are positioned to guide us through the next natural disaster, just as they did during a powerful hurricane and out-of-the-blue earthquake.

But as the record of these recent events shows, it can’t be done without radio. Disaster communication ultimately hinges on a surefire signal that’s accessible, and radio provides this.

As we pick ourselves up and prepare for what might come our way next, it is important that our lawmakers safeguard radio’s incomparable link to public safety.

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The writer is an Annapolis resident who previously served as a Shift Commander for Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services.

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