If the power of a cause can be judged by the size of its enemies, micro-radio has grand potential indeed. It's hard to date it exactly, but the movement to create low-power, localized radio -- often referred to as pirate, or micro-radio -- has been growing since the late 1980s. Until recently, the Federal Communications Commission has viewed micro-radio as a nuisance, raiding the homes of pirate broadcasters and prosecuting them for violations of the strict federal broadcasting laws. In December 1998 alone, the FCC raided 19 pirate stations in the Miami area, confiscating transmitters and prosecuting violators aggressively. Pirates who are caught face up to $100,000 in fines, up to one year in prison, and possibly both penalties for a first offense.

Yet in what may turn out to be a stunning turnaround, the FCC is scheduled to vote Thursday on a sweeping reform -- the creation of licensed, regulated low-power radio service on the FM dial. Commercial FM licenses must operate at 6000 watts or more. Most urban stations operate closer to 50,000. micro-radio stations, by contrast, would broadcast at up to 100 watts -- hitting a radius of about seven miles.

There are no licenses available yet; the commission is expected to approve the new class of licenses Thursday, and then being ironing out the details. The commission could begin accepting applications this spring. The key debate facing commissioners is whether to reserve the licenses for exclusively non-commercial use.

Why are people still fighting for access to the FM band in this Internet age? Why not simply use Internet radio and avoid the hassle of licensing and scarce spectrum space altogether?

There are several reasons. First of all, radio is cheap. Transmitter kits run $500; commercial radio stations currently sell for tens of millions. Licenses and fees for commercial stations run close to $1 million -- compared to an estimated $2,000 for a micro-station.

Proponents also note that radio remains a far more accessible medium. Those who live and work online tend to forget that not everyone can afford the kinds of technologies that make downloading streaming audio feasible or worthwhile. micro-radio's audience is almost by definition the poor and disenfranchised. Also, micro-radio has something the Internet doesn't: Local roots, and a local appeal. A radio station with a broadcast area of four miles has no choice but to root itself in the concerns of its community. Radio technology is also, by contrast, cheap, simple and easy to learn.

The arguments for localized radio conjure up utopian visions of what the medium could offer: Free-standing community radio stations, a kind of broadcast town hall. People with diverse points of view airing them in a civilized forum of time slots. Even FCC Chairman Bill Kennard has said, "This is all about bringing new voices to the airwaves."

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But not everyone thinks that's a good thing. The National Association of Broadcasters -- a group of media industry representatives -- isn't pleased. The group has fought the micro-radio movement every step of the way, saying that micro-radio stations will cause interference with existing outlets. The association's board of directors issued a letter Jan. 10 urging the FCC to delay its vote for at least a month -- to "preserve the integrity of the FM band."

The FCC's position is that low-power stations won't clog the dial and won't cause interference if properly regulated. Signal limiters, which keep transmission from bleeding into different frequencies, are cheap and easy to put in place.

(Unregulated micro-radio has not been without its transgressions, however. The Federal Aviation Administration has complained that illegal broadcast signals have interfered with air traffic control signals.)

It's possible that given the mushrooming proliferation of micro-radio and the technical ease of setting it up, legalizing and regulating it may be the commission's way of managing potential problems.

The movement's avatars --- and high profile supporters like musicians Jello Biafra, Mike Watt and the Indigo Girls -- point to a dizzying array of programming. The widely written about Black Liberation Radio broadcast news of alleged police abuse and rap music to its audience, a predominantly black Springfield, Ill., housing project. Free Radio Berkeley's non-stop broadcast featured local news by former radio reporters. FUCC in Seattle frequently broadcast live concerts by local bands. Four stations in Cleveland's West Side appealed to the Hispanic community with 24-hours of Latin music and religious sermons in Spanish.

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