Here's a piece of news that you probably didn't think you would read in 2017.
In a symposium on the future of radio and audio in Washington (in the United States), the president of the Federal Communications Commission, Ajit Father, spoke (PDF) in favor of activation of FM radio transmitters of all smartphones.
No, you didn't read it wrong: FM radio. Today, all smartphones (including your iPhone) have the ability to offer FM radio broadcasts through receivers built into the LTE modem. However, operators and manufacturers prefer to leave this feature off, leaving only the option of listening to radio via streaming (online).
Father cited an NAB study that shows that only 44% of the best-selling smartphones in the US have FM receivers turned off and most (94%) of these phones would be iPhones.
The idea of ​​having deactivated receivers appeals to Dad, who believes they "could be much better." In a rather laughable speech, he argues that "It's strange that every day we hear about a new smartphone app that lets you do something innovative, but these miraculous modern mobile devices don't allow a key function offered by a 1982 Sony Walkman." .
According to him, there are a range of benefits in activating the receivers, such as saving both battery and mobile data, as well as being able to use in emergencies when there is no signal.
While reinforcing the idea of ​​the importance of this resource, he believes in “free markets” and laws; Therefore, it does not support a government mandate requiring the activation of these chips, nor does it believe that the FCC has the power to issue such a mandate.
Even if something is done about it and the receivers are activated, how many people would actually use this feature in 2017?
(via MacRumors)
