Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2354 for Friday December 9th, 2022
The good news is that AM radio has a future, which means the band isn’t going to be reallocated anytime soon. Those were the words of FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington, speaking recently at the 79th annual convention of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting. Simington said that, for one thing, AM radio is an integral part of the life of the more than 3 million farmers in the United States who rely on it daily for vital information.
He called it the [quote] “essential spine” [end quote] of the Emergency Alert System. He said that despite beliefs by many that it has been killed off by more advanced technology, AM radio is here to stay for the foreseeable future, especially for those who live on the kind of farm where he himself grew up. He said he is against any move the FCC might be pressured to consider to reallocate the band.
He told convention attendees: [quote] “Look, people listen to radio in their cars or trucks—particularly rural radio. That’s just how it is. And if people lose the ability to tune into AM on their cars, well, there goes AM radio.” [endquote] He said that while satellite is a good option, it is too expensive. He said AM radio is not just free but carries an important emergency signaling infrastructure.
In his opinion, the best option for AM radio’s future to to simply preserve it for the generations to come.
Mike Terry to mwcircle iog (2022-12-09)