A small Hawaiian town gets a new FM radio channel, 5.2 miles away

The US Federal Communications Commission changed its rules to allow a new FM radio channel in Koloa, Hawaii. This means a new radio station can now broadcast to the area, but its antenna must be located a few miles outside the town.

Radio spectrum is a finite resource, and every channel allotment is a zero-sum game. This small change frees up a channel for a new broadcaster in a specific location. It shows how the FCC continually manages and reallocates these invisible public assets, one small town at a time.