On July 1, 2004, the FCC issued a "Notice of Inquiry" (NOI) on localism in broadcasting. This NOI is part of the FCC's broader Localism Task Force -an initiative that grew out of the contentious media ownership proceedings of 2003 during which millions of citizens filed comments at the FCC on the state of their local media. 

Since issuing the NOI, the FCC has been collecting comments from stakeholders and members of the public on localism in radio and television.

AFTRA has routinely noted that voice-tracking has the effect of compressing salaries and reducing job opportunities for broadcast talent.  AFTRA has also argued that recording artists should have fair access to radio based on their popularity in a particular local area and the quality of their recordings.  It's essential  that musicians, performers, broadcast talent and citizens weigh in on this topic by submitting a written comment to the FCC before November 1. 

With assistance from AFTRA, the Future of Music Coalition (FMC) has built a web tool that will help people submit comments to assist the FCC in creating regulatory policies that match musicians' and citizens' expectations.  Click here to go to the Future of Music Coalition website to follow the instructions laid out in the FMC's Guide to the FCC's Localism in Broadcasting.

The web form breaks down the FCC's NOI into twelve subcategories and provides a bullet list of the topics and questions that are on the table.  Next to each bullet list there are text boxes in which to type your comments.  When you get to the end of the form, click on “submit” and you will see your typed replies combined into one comment. After you've reviewed it, the program will let you file it electronically as a public comment at the FCC.