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Thread: FCC Chairman Pushes for FM Radio in Smartphones

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    #DeSantis2024 Teh One Who Knocks's Avatar
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    Vintage FCC Chairman Pushes for FM Radio in Smartphones

    By Angela Moscaritolo - PC Magazine




    Smartphones have lots of fancy features, but there's one pretty basic thing that most handsets in the US can't do: play the radio. New FCC Chairman Ajit Pai is pushing to change that.

    "It seems odd that every day we hear about a new smartphone app that lets you do something innovative, yet these modern-day mobile miracles don't enable a key function offered by a 1982 Sony Walkman," Pai said at a North American Broadcasters Association event in Washington, D.C. on Thursday.

    The majority of smartphones sold in this country contain FM chips, he pointed out. But just 44 percent of the top-selling smartphones in the US last fall had activated FM chips.

    "You could make a case for activating chips on public safety grounds alone," he said. "The former head of our Federal Emergency Management Administration has spoken out in support of this proposal. The FCC has an expert advisory panel on public safety issues that has also advocated enabling FM radio chips on smartphones."

    The problem, according to a July Wired story, is that phone manufacturers don't have much incentive to turn them on. In fact, they have an incentive not to. Carriers, for instance, profit when you use up all your data streaming music. Apple, meanwhile, "remains the biggest holdout," the report notes. Critics say Cupertino doesn't want to "undermine" Apple Music ($9.99 at Apple Store) and other streaming services.

    Pai this week argued that people want to listen to the radio on their smartphones and said that as more and more people are able to, demand for activated FM chips will grow. He does not, however, think companies should be forced to turn them on.

    "As a believer in free markets and the rule of law, I cannot support a government mandate requiring activation of these chips," he said. "I don't believe the FCC has the power to issue a mandate like that, and more generally I believe it's best to sort this issue out in the marketplace."

  2. #2
    Shelter Dweller PorkChopSandwiches's Avatar
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    If they are already there they should be activated, just stupid.






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    weapon of mass consumption redred's Avatar
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    i moved away for the samsung s6 because it didn't have a Fm radio and didn't want internet radio using up my data

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    Shelter Dweller PorkChopSandwiches's Avatar
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    I seem to remember having the option on one of my older phones






  5. #5
    weapon of mass consumption redred's Avatar
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    i have it on my sony z5 had it just over a year now

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    Sisukas Jezter's Avatar
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    Here it's a standard feature.

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    weapon of mass consumption redred's Avatar
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    i see nokia are planning big things jezzie

    Nokia 3310 phone ‘will be re-released this month’

    Read more: http://metro.co.uk/2017/02/14/nokia-...#ixzz4ZLlyf8Cy

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    Sisukas Jezter's Avatar
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    Yup! Read the same! Awesome!

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    weapon of mass consumption redred's Avatar
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    3 year battery life per a charge

  10. The Following User Says Thank You to redred For This Useful Post:

    PorkChopSandwiches (02-22-2017)

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    Shelter Dweller Hugh_Janus's Avatar
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    fm radio.... whoooo....

    dab lyfe yo

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    Basement Dweller Godfather's Avatar
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    I'd love FM radio on my phone, I have to eat up bandwidth listening to sports radio at work where our wifi bans streaming

    Funny thing about that is, now I've switched to podcasts which are killing radio. Streaming music like Spotify and talk radio podcasts are far superior to most radio stations.

    Some smaller European countries are getting rid of FM already in fact. But I guess it makes less sense to broadcast in small countries, versus the US were you can capture a much larger audience/area with the same output cost.
    Last edited by Godfather; 02-22-2017 at 03:28 AM.

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    Shelter Dweller PorkChopSandwiches's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Godfather View Post
    I'd love FM radio on my phone, I have to eat up bandwidth listening to sports radio at work where our wifi bans streaming

    Funny thing about that is, now I've switched to podcasts which are killing radio. Streaming music like Spotify and talk radio podcasts are far superior to most radio stations.

    Some smaller European countries are getting rid of FM already in fact. But I guess it makes less sense to broadcast in small countries, versus the US were you can capture a much larger audience/area with the same output cost.
    Yeah, but they use data, regular radio is kinda shitty with all the commercials, but over FM it would be free






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    Basement Dweller Godfather's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by PorkChopSandwiches View Post
    Yeah, but they use data, regular radio is kinda shitty with all the commercials, but over FM it would be free
    The thing I like about podcasts is that I've got my app set to wifi only. It downloads new episodes when I'm home, and at work or on my commute I listen to them without using data. Same with a paid Spotify subscription for $7/month. Totally worth it.

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