rfb v. FCC In Stasis

When the FCC was denied an injunction against radio free brattleboro in March of 2004, Federal District Judge J. Garvan Murtha suggested the agency and station enter into talks to try to figure out a compromise whereby rfb might broadcast legally. Instead the FCC went to a Federal Magistrate and got a warrant to execute a station raid in June of 2005. Instead of playing ball with rfb, the FCC went and found a friendlier court. Justice in action?
This week radio free brattleboro’s attorney formally announced the collapse of all dialogue, as civil actions still wend their way through two courts in Vermont.
Rooting through some tape at work this week I came upon Sara Longsmith’s presentation on radio free brattleboro (13:54, 12.8 MB) at the National Conference for Media Reform in St. Louis last May. It’s a fairly concise overview of the station and its mission up until a month before the FCC silenced it by force. The FCC has since granted an LPFM construction permit to another group in Brattleboro, one which Longsmith says has pledged to live up to the ideals of rfb.