Low Power FM radio has been steadily increasing nationwide, and in many communities it's providing a badly needed countermeasure against cookie-cutter corporate radio. Since the format's official introduction, some 600 low-power FM stations have taken to the airwaves nationwide.

But for many large-sized communities (including major cities like Chicago), community radio is restricted to signals at such weak strength that there's not much hope of reaching the entirety of a city and the suburbs.

One possible remedy is low-power AM radio, with wattage strengths up to 250 watts and can hold a far greater reach (for example, a 100 watt AM radio station can reach about five miles).

And there's good news: A petition for making rules low-power AM radio has been accepted at the FCC, and a rare comment window on the issue is open now.

The FCC is currently accepting comment on low-power AM radio from now until November 20. You can comment on this docket online, asking the FCC to expand low-power AM radio nationwide and provide more opportunities for responsive, community-oriented quality radio across the country. Here's how to comment:

(1) Go to:

www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs/

(2) Click on the link on the right-hand side labelled "Submit a Filing"

(3) For the Proceedings, type in "RM-11287". Then fill in the values on the page and complete the form. You can add your comments in the available text field, or you can upload your comments as an external file in any of a number of file formats.

And be sure to pass this message to others who might be interested in commenting.