It appears the FCC is soliciting responses from the public on whether or not sattelite radios should be required to receive HD radio broadcasts. They have posted a Notice of Inquiry on their web site. Was this part of the Sirius / SM merger agreement approval process? JohnEB2
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FCC inquiry - HD on Sattelite Radios
- Thread starter johneb2johneb2
- Start date
Here we bleeping go again. I guess the only way HD's fanboys think it's going to work is to have it shoved down our throats.
The notion that someone paying for not only the radio but also the programming (as in satellite radio) is also going to pay for HD reception capability in the same radio belongs in the Sunday comics section. GM and Toyota (the #1 and #2 auto manufacturers in the world) are already on the record as opposing this idea. How many times does it have to be repeated before the FCC actually gets it?
The notion that someone paying for not only the radio but also the programming (as in satellite radio) is also going to pay for HD reception capability in the same radio belongs in the Sunday comics section. GM and Toyota (the #1 and #2 auto manufacturers in the world) are already on the record as opposing this idea. How many times does it have to be repeated before the FCC actually gets it?
dumber than a box of hair said:
I think the issue here is competition. They eliminated it when they allowed XM & Sirius to merge. If they're using the public spectrum, and they are, the government has the right to impose possible ways to create competition. I don't know if this is the best solution, but that's why they're seeking comments.
GM & Toyota's opposition, while interesting, is legally irrelevant. Their contracts are with XM Sirius, and if the rules under which that company changes, then the car companies have to comply, or go back to XM Sirius for renegotiation. XM Sirius is very clear about this in the contracts they sign. Same with broadcast radio companies. These companies don't control the rules under which they operate. If the FCC changes the rules, and it affects outside business deals, too bad. The wording is very clear in the contract.
TheBigA said:
This inquiry is about HD radio's end-game. They've now effectively admitted that 1) the transmitting end doesn't work the way it was originally designed, so they have to run to the government for help, and 2) the receivers are selling hardly at all, so they have to run to the government for help. Hardly the signs of a system being either accepted by the public or performing properly for broadcasters. If one or both of these cries for help don't pass muster with the best regulatory agency money can buy, stick a fork in iBiquity, the HD Alliance and HD radio...they're done.
dumber than a box of hair said:
Effectively? They've never said anything of the kind. The transmitting has never been mentioned by anyone in this case. What made this an issue is that XM and Sirius wanted to get the FCC to do something they didn't want to do. Now the FCC is looking for payback. This door would not have opened if it had not been for the merger.
dumber than a box of hair said:
I think you're drawing illogical conclusions. As I've said here before, NO receivers are selling at any notable level, including satellite receivers. One could imply from that that satellite radio is a failure. As Mel himself testified before Congress, XM and Sirius have not been successful in convincing the public to become subscribers. That was at the core of his case for merger. So now, the FCC is simply asking what is wrong with putting additional content on satellite receivers.
The goal for the government after they've narrowed competition for satellite is to attempt to level the playing field for other fledgling forms of radio. If the FCC really wanted to create some kind of mandate for HD, they'd talk about requiring it on ALL radios. That's not what they're doing. It's strictly related to satellite radio. Personally, the way satellite radio is selling right now, I doubt very much this would do anything to help HD. No one's buying satellite receivers either, so it wouldn't matter if they included HD.
dumber than a box of hair said:
They were done before they started, bad technology, the worst I've ever heard of. The sound is not much improved, some would call it shrill, receive distance is cut way down and adjacent interference all add up to the lead balloon we have seen and will continue to see no matter how much and how the rich broadcasters try to shove it down our throats.
KB1OKL said:
Take it easy Bob, the low bands will open any day now and you can listen to all the analog radio you'd like. Why if you want you can even get on 10 meters and talk to people. All kidding aside, no one is forcing anything down your throat. Where does it say that you have to convert to digital operations? As long as broadcasters who chose to run an IBOC exciter aren't breaking any laws, whats your problem? If you can prove they are then take them before the FCC. You're free to do that. You can even get a group of like minded people, like Mr. 'S' has done with his anti IBOC board and file a class action suit. No one is stopping you. All you've done so far is compain to peole with no authority to do anything. If it really bothers you that much, then do something! All you need do is prove your case. BY the way, I see you hold a tech license. Maybe while you're wokinig on that law suit you can spare the time to work on your CW speed and upgrade your license. Maybe we can have a QSO on 80 in the extra class CW portion one of these days.
I have no problem with satellite radio being added to HD radios. I have it in my car and I never asked for it. If I wanted the navagation system I had to take the XM radio. That doesn't mean I have to subscribe. Why do you think we'd object to having satellite radio capablity added to our radios?
R.F. Burns said:
They can't even get the AM right anymore in most of the new car radios. Why add yet another noisemaking section.
If they somehow could turn off all the square-wave "clock" oscillators, properly filter and/or bypass the rf hash they create, I guess I
wouldn't mind. But I'm not seeing (hearing) this yet. The AM radios just get worse and worse.
I will be happily surprised and change my tune if they get past this primary design flaw.
This SHOULD be no problem, since they were able to supress auto ignition noise a long, long time ago.
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