Feature:
Digital Radio = Death? (II)
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Page 1, 2 The Kicker: Bandwidth Radio stations don't use the entire 200 KHz chunk of bandwidth for their programming, and many stations use that extra space to broadcast subcarrier data (like reading for the blind services), Radio Data System (RDS) information (like song titles and weather forecasts for specially-equipped receivers), or even data information for pager networks. All of these auxiliary services currently require separate receivers to pick up each extra signal.
The main developer of IBOC DAB, USA Digital Radio, calls this extra space "digital side bands" - but if they're not going to be used for the audio signal, then what will they be used for? Throw Out Your Radio Thanks to the extra bandwidth that IBOC will provide, many radio broadcasters are looking at other ways to use the medium to make extra money. DAB will allow radio stations to bundle their programming with lots of non-radio-related features. Take the Internet, for example. Wireless networks are now beginning to develop. Digital radio stations could use that extra bandwidth to provide those same services - they already have a spot on the spectrum, and the combined coverage area of all of the nation's FM radio stations is comparable to the nation's cellular phone networks. One company already has a device in production to allow Windows CE handheld computers to access wireless information via FM radio subcarriers. The major players in the DAB game see this as the future of radio. Sony Corporation, in its comments on adopting the IBOC standard, wrote, "the Broadcasting Industry needs to advance to a digital format and offer not only digital quality, but also an alternative pipe for the value-added services offered over the Internet." The developers of the IBOC standard itself are already billing IBOC DAB's future capabilities to provide bona-fide internet access. Notice that the "value-added services" in the works have nothing to do with a station's primary signal and format. They have everything to do with fattening the bottom line at the expense of the FM band. It's entirely conceivable that today's radio station will be more like tomorrow's wireless/Internet service provider than a broadcast media outlet. The End Is Near? The FCC is currently considering a proposal for rulemaking that would implement IBOC DAB in the near future, certainly before the decade is out. Once the new system is in place, stations would be given a certain amount of time to transition from analog to digital broadcasting. But once the time is up, all programming will have to be digital - thereby making today's analog radio receivers obsolete. DAB radio receivers are expected to cost about 15 to 20% more than today's high-end analog radios do. It's clear that digital radio in America isn't about improving radio - it's about benefitting the radio industry. Big Broadcasting will get an open door and a reduced-cost ride into other industries and revenue streams that have nothing to do with its primary mission. |
Under
current FCC rules, FM radio stations are allocated a channel that is 200
KHz wide. Think of each channel as a piece of real estate - while
your house may sit on the center of the lot, your yard extends to the
property line. With the example at right, your receiver may be tuned to
91.5, but the signal of the station at that frequency actually occupies
the space between 91.4 and 91.6 MHz. 
With
IBOC DAB, stations would be allocated a channel that is 430 KHz
wide. As the graphic shows, the theoretical digital station on 91.5 has
a signal which will clearly overlap onto the adjacent channels of 91.3
and 91.7: