Van Hollen references several red flags that have been raised in recent months, including warnings that the hyper-targeted messaging ZoneCasting enables could undercut the effectiveness of emergency alert systems. In addition to the overall impact on the economic foundation of the radio industry, he also notes that some critics have said allowing advertisers to buy only certain parts of a metro area could “exacerbate racial inequity” by restricting content and advertising and specifically put small and minority-owned radio stations at a disadvantage. “The limited testing of the technology, which has led to uncertainty about the degree of disruption to listeners and stations from signal interference, is also noteworthy,” Van Hollen
wrote in a letter this week to FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel.
