The Hypocrisy Of HD Radio Proponents
Anyone following the Sirius / Xm merger process should be baffled. In a second year now of repeated opposition by terrestrial radio lobbyists and their congressional henchmen, it seems to be getting down again to one common thread. Hybrid Digital radio. Not high definition, although they’d like you to believe that. The reviews of hd radio clearly indicate that consumers are not at all happy with it.
It’s easy to forget past arguments regarding competition and consumer choice. How odd! The same people and groups who cried foul over consumer choice when the merger began, are now suggesting choice be stripped away. They propose to do this by means of a government mandate that will have the effect of forcing all Americans to listen to hybrid digital radio, whether we want to or not. And they’d like Sirius to pay for it!
This proposed mandate will guarantee every person the opportunity, to listen to up to 3 times the commercials than they are currently bombarded with on terrestrial radio stations. How about THAT for a consumer benefit?! Where may I ask does the competition lie in this?
It boggles the mind that the FCC would even consider such nonsense. A conspiracy theorist might question whether or not it somehow gives the government a way of tracking people, because there is no reasonable conclusion a normal thinking person could arrive at.
To see clearly the utter insanity of such a mandate is simple. This proposed mandate is the equivalent of ordering Coca-Cola to include a certain percentage of Pepsi in each bottle. It is equivalent to forcing every Apple computer to include a Microsoft operating platform. To top it off, Ibiquity would suggest that Apple should be forced to pay all costs incurred for including Microsoft XP in their computers! Why are these discussions even taking place?
The NAB has had a stranglehold on the American consumer for decades. We hear what they want us to hear and we buy what they want us to buy. We read what they want us to read….as long as the price is right. This merger represents a chance to level the playing field and actually hear, read and see a perspective that might not agree with a given political candidate or party’s view. Ironically, this merger will raise the overall intelligence of America. People will be MORE informed, with access to information and entertainment from many different perspectives.
Position: Long Sirius, Xm.
This whole nonsense is related to the Satrad SDARS requirement, dating back to the 1990’s, that was never enforced by thr FCC – it stated that all digital radio should be included in Satrad receivers, but now, since the FCC has authorized DRM on the US shortwave bands, would SDARDS include this, also? Supposedly, Satrad already has an interoperable receiver, but it is complex and expensive. Such a mandate, would probably kill Satrad, as it would drive up the price of receivers that few consuemrs would probably want. Absurd!
I think once the deal is done the opportunity to advertise and compete with regular radio will be funny to watch. If you have Sat radio you still have regular radio…but the opposite won’t be true. Don’t you want choice the best Radio has to offer. All sports not just local sports. Stern and many more to follow. Mel K. has to be ready to pounce.
“FCC Turns Down C3SR & NAB Requests. Case Closed!”
“It is has been reported to me that the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC or Commission) General Counsel’s office believes that the concerns raised by the Consumer Coalition for Competition in Satellite Radio (C3SR) regarding enforcement of the interoperability requirement or the issue of candor of the proposed merging parties can be resolved without further investigation and without a clear and transparent process…”
https://siriusbuzz.com/fcc-turns-down-c3sr-nab-requests-case-closed.php
This absurdity was supposedly already dismissed by the FCC’s General Counsel.
All traditional radios should also be required to connect with sat/rad stations! We owe it to the consumers of traditional radio to provide them with this unique, optional service. While were at it, how about putting a price freeze on oil and gas prices for 6 years!!!!