FCC inquiry - HD on Sattelite Radios

[Savage]

Well, I had promised to ignore The Big Adolescent previously, but the recent posts have pegged "the ignorant meter" so I can't resist.  Thanks, BigA, for finally revealing your agenda here for everyone.  You simply hate US commercial radio, which explains your frequent nihilist rants here.  Which are astonishingly uninformed, I must add.

Where on God's green earth did you ever get the idea "the public is not compensated for use" of the radio spectrum?  Have you never heard of spectrum auctions and annual spectrum use fees paid by every single freakin' radio station in the US?  Have you never heard of license application fees for every official function from callsign changes to CP apps and mods to STA applications to transfers of license control and on and on?  It's BILLIONS of dollars paid into the US Treasury annually directly related to use of the public airwaves, specifically, the RADIO spectrum. 

And radio "should not be used for entertainment?"  In The BigA's future world of radio, his legislative ban on "entertainment on the radio" will surely make for a must-hear product I'm sure.  (Although big group radio these days is certainly making a valiant early attempt.)  Presumably, though, The BigA wants to wipe out those billions in federal revenues from radio, outlaw "entertainment" and proscribe making any productive use, revenue-wise, of radio broadcasting.  So: say goodbye, in advance, to future versions of Todd Storz, Orson Welles, Garrison Keillor, Gordon McLendon, Dick Clark, Bill Drake, Casey Kasem, and the scores of legendary entertainers (can't have THAT!) who have been enjoyed by untold millions over decades of US commercial radio. 

And presumably it should all be replaced by......what, Radio Sofia?  The Beeb?  A big TIS or all-HD version of NOAA weather radio?

While The BigA would proscribe "entertainment on the radio" thankfully he doesn't fail to supply big laughs here, so we won't have to go completely mirthless.  "A lot of people have testified at the FCC" that we need to end all US commercial broadcast radio as we know it?  Really?  Somehow that little development eluded the editors of RW, Broadcasting & Cable, RBR and many blogsites....can you supply us with the Notice Of Proposed Rulemaking or Notice Of Inquiry dates and docket numbers of these little soirees? 

Or when you type "a lot of people" - vocal ones, to be sure - are you referring to a handful of infantile, disingenuous nitwits who pontificate anonymously on blogsites about fantasy FCC hearings to end commercial radio?

BTW: on another thread on this board, you brayed to the effect that "the FCC will not get involved" when it comes to cases of IBOC-AM adjacent channel interference.  Actually, that - like many of your posts - is just made-up crap.  In Philadelphia a major AM signal was recently receiving serious interference from a SECOND-adjacent station in Harrisburg.  A complaint was filed and the two parties were told to either work it out between them, or the Commission would order the interferor to reduce digital power.  A reduction was made which satisfied the Philly station.  And another potential PR disaster for HD was averted (the interferor is a member of the Alliance, so they decided to live with half a loaf, which is about as good as it gets with HD Radio.)

[TheBigA]

You simply hate US commercial radio, which explains your frequent nihilist rants here. 

Actually I don't.  I was simply posing a counterpoint to YOUR rant.

Where on God's green earth did you ever get the idea "the public is not compensated for use" of the radio spectrum?  Have you never heard of spectrum auctions and annual spectrum use fees paid by every single freakin' radio station in the US?  

 

OK...you're an owner.  How much of your revenue goes into a spectrum fee?  The Congrssional budget office says the spectrum fee brings in under $50 million a year.  That's covering a $20 billion industry!  There have been numerous proposals in Congress to increase the spectrum fee during the past ten years and none have passed.  Those who object to the commercial use of the public airwaves (and I'm NOT one of them) feel the fee is way too low.  The criticism, and you've no doubt heard it, is a radio station is a license to print money.  Those with an agenda who can't own one object to commercial radio on that basis. 

It's BILLIONS of dollars paid into the US Treasury annually directly related to use of the public airwaves, specifically, the RADIO spectrum. 

I understand all that, but the commercial radio industry is NOT paying billions for the use of the spectrum.  As I said, the figure is much lower than that.  The issue here is commercial terrestrial radio. 

And radio "should not be used for entertainment?"  In The BigA's future world of radio, his legislative ban on "entertainment on the radio" will surely make for a must-hear product I'm sure. 

Once again, this is not MY opinion, but that of numerous public interest groups who speak at these local FCC hearings that were held around the country.  These hearings were held during the last two years in Seattle, Washington DC, Nashville, Portland Maine, and Chicago (among others).  You can read transcripts of these hearings at fcc.gov.  You can read about the Chicago hearing at StopBigMedia.com.  You call them "nitwits?"  Ironically, their URL is similar to StopIBOC.com. 

I haven't proposed a ban on entertainment, but these groups are coming up with all kinds of new laws, and there are at least two Commissioners who attend these groups' conventions, and say they agree.  These particular two Commissioners may find themselves in the majority in four months.
So I'd be a little concerned about what they think.

BTW: on another thread on this board, you brayed to the effect that "the FCC will not get involved" when it comes to cases of IBOC-AM adjacent channel interference.  Actually, that - like many of your posts - is just made-up crap. 

OK...so you came up with one example.  Out of how many cases where interference has been claimed?  To read your posts and others here, this interference is widespread.  If so, why have there only been a couple of complaints to the agency charged with regulation of the airwaves?

[Cal Stymes]

TheBigA queried:

Out of how many cases where interference has been claimed?  To read your posts and others here, this interference is widespread.  If so, why have there only been a couple of complaints to the agency charged with regulation of the airwaves?

Ok.  I've kept my mouth shut for awhile now, but at this point, I think we need to ignore this guy.  Bob, don't get sucked in by him.  He is trying to trip you up, and although you're too smart to let it happen, he argues for the sake of creating trouble and his arguments are irrelevant and ridiculous.

Quite honestly, the FCC is NOT doing its job anymore, pure and simple.  This is a federal agency that was created to protect users of the electromagnetic spectrum from interfering with each other.  Clearly, it is no longer concerned with this aspect of its most basic function.  In fact, the number of engineers has decreased and the number of bureaucrats has increased steadily at the FCC over the past 30 years.  It is not as if any of the problems that are being experienced by the AM HD system weren't scientifically and mathematically predictable.  They were.  Everyone was warned.  The FCC consciously chose to ignore this data and continues to ignore valid engineering evidence of interference in defense of a cheesy system that smacks of mediocrity.

Hopefully, one day the FCC will hire some good engineering people again and stop selling itself to the highest bidder.  Remember folks:  Ibiquity's chairman is under the gun to get that public offering going and he will do anything and everything possible to make sure that it happens, no matter who gets hurt along the way.

[Savage]

Wide ranging comments, Cal, and valid ones.  Not to worry, i'm neither sucked in by Big nor others of his ilk (such as DStroyer, who is obviously just another dweeb blogging from his mom's basement - clicking on his bio link reveals his professional radio credentials as "HD Radio owner," a perspective from which he not only dreamily mulls buying some existing FM stations and unleashing wonderful new HD-2 and HD-3 formats, but also ventures to offer some of his contributors airshifts.  In other words, the functional equivalent of every overgrown-teener armchair radio quarterback who has never had to actually operate a real radio station, pay taxes and meet payroll, etc.)

We all need to remember that the function of these blogsites is to give every p**s-ant an ant-hill to p**s from, and many of them do far more damage to themselves with every keystroke than we real-world broadcasters ever could.  So like you, I'm all for letting them have at it.  Keep the idiocy coming, guys!

As far as the FCC goes: it's lame-duck season, which will manifest itself in NO meaningful forward action on HD including the vaunted digital power increase.  The recent NPR interference study has injected a most sobering note into the controversy.  It's hard to see how the industry is going to sign on to the prospect of losing about a third of in-car analog listening over HD.  I don't think even the most typical big-cluster manager is THAT stupid.  Particularly when the entire body of engineering opinion outside the most rabid circle of HD-boosters predicts that even 10db digital won't make that much difference in practical real-world digital coverage.

Irrespective of which new administration takes over, I predict a big shakeup at the FCC after November.  And when the digital-power increase proposal is finessed and ultimately fails to produce any meaningful improvement in HD's fortunes, look for the radio industry to aim for a new horizon - one embracing internet streaming.  The political changes at the Commission will administer HD's coup de grace.  I hope it happens quickly.

[TheBigA]

Quite honestly, the FCC is NOT doing its job anymore, pure and simple.  This is a federal agency that was created to protect users of the electromagnetic spectrum from interfering with each other. 

I agree with that.  But the role of the FCC changed in the early 80s.  Lots of other things were dropped on its "to do" list, and its budget was cut.  Just because an angecy was created to do one job doesn't mean it will continue to do that same job 80 years later. 

I agree that Savage is being unfairly hurt.  As I've said, and you can believe what you want to believe, I'm not interested in promoting HD Radio.  Feel free to point out mistakes in my posts.  But don't tell me I don't have a right to my opinion or that my opinions are irrelevent or ridiculous just because you disagree with them.

Hopefully, one day the FCC will hire some good engineering people again and stop selling itself to the highest bidder.  Remember folks:  Ibiquity's chairman is under the gun to get that public offering going and he will do anything and everything possible to make sure that it happens, no matter who gets hurt along the way.

Have you looked at the stock market lately?  Only a fool would make a public offering in the middle of a depression.  Who is going to represent him?  Lehman Brothers?  Ha!  Forget it. 

Look, the only thing the FCC is selling to the highest bidder is spectrum space.  Not HD radio.  I have no reason to believe that approval was bought & paid for.  Copps and Adelstein wouldn't allow it.  But I agree that almost all engineering work has been outsourced to private companies.  That's how Washington works and has worked since Reagan.

By the way, I believe the radio industry has already begun to abandon HD Radio.  THat's what the Ferrero announcement was all about.

[Carmine5]

Particularly when the entire body of engineering opinion outside the most rabid circle of HD-boosters predicts that even 10db digital won't make that much difference in practical real-world digital coverage.

It seems like the 10db increase proposal is a kind of last ditch attempt to save HD Radio technologically.  The only other thing the Alliance can do is start pushing for a sunset of analog broadcasting.

The "inconvenient truth" of the NPR study, which undoubtedly the FCC will factor in to it's decision, could very well be a sticking point in implementing this power increase.

C5

[audioguy]

"The only other thing the Alliance can do is start pushing for a sunset of analog broadcasting".

I would not be in favor of that! However, I would support a sunset for Hybrid Digital broadcasting.

Let those who want to continue broadcasting in digital do so in digital mode only, so they only occupy their own channel. Not only would that eliminate the horrendous interference problem, but then digital transmission might actually work reasonably well. At the same time, let those who want to continue broadcasting in analog do so. There is no incentive for most low power, small market stations to go digital.

In other words, you get to operate in digital or analog, but not both. You have to keep your stuff in your own lane.

Ideally, future software defined radios would allow for multiple digital standards, so that other digital transmission standards could be used at the discretion of the radio station.

[Carmine5]

"The only other thing the Alliance can do is start pushing for a sunset of analog broadcasting".

I would not be in favor of that! However, I would support a sunset for Hybrid Digital broadcasting.

Nor would I.  And, realistically, I doubt the FCC would accept that idea, at least not for a decade or so. But I can see, in desperation, the Alliance putting it forward.

But your idea of an either/or solution would be a good one.

C5

[Savage]

Yes, audioguy and Carmine5, excellent concepts.  They could then re-name themselves The "D" Alliance.

Can't you just hear the on-air promos?  "Time to upgrade.....to D !"

(Or maybe "D-minus.")

[audioguy]

We could have a contest to see who can come up with the best promos for "D"--

"Traffic just sounds better in D!"
"Digital radio just makes you feel so defined..."
"Hear the debate in D-- now you'll know where they really stand!"
Get the weather in D and know for sure whether it's raining without looking out the window!"

Oh, one more: "Our station sounds great in D - wherever you can hear us!

OK, those are weak. I admit I can't think of any good ones! Maybe the Alliance ad agency can.