ITU Radiocommunication Study Group 6, considering
a) that Report ITU-R BT.2299 provides a compilation of supporting evidence that terrestrial broadcasting plays a critically important role in disseminating information to the public in times of emergencies;
b) that the overall robustness of broadcast services is enhanced by the geographical diversity of multiple radio and television services within a given region,whereby total loss of service during service disruptions rarely occurs;
c) that radio receivers are generally highly reliable, regardless of almost any disorder or disruption taking place in the affected disaster area;
d) that the majority of smart phones contain hardware that consists of a multitude of connectivity capabilities including, among other things, Bluetooth and similar technologies. Regardless of the chipset manufacturer selected by the smart phone maker, FM receivers have a nearly 100 percent inclusion in this set of connectivity chips;
e) that Report ITU-R BT.2387 indicates that some countries are implementing digital sound broadcasting and while the demand for analogue FM radio remains strong, some countries have extended the FM band,
is of the opinion
that citizens of the world would benefit if manufacturers of mobile telephones, tablets, and similar devices as well as associated service providers would include and activate a broadcast radio tuner functionality in their products along with the appropriate applications to facilitate radio broadcasting reception. TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA— The North American Broadcasters Association announced that it has gained international support for the activation of FM radio receivers in smartphones. NABA submitted an “Opinion” on activating radio receivers in smartphones that was adopted by the International Telecommunication Union in March of 2017. Enabling the FM chip present present in most smartphones would allow users convenient access to FM radio in times of emergency and natural disasters.
“ITU’s support is a result of focused, coordinated and steadfast effort by NABA’s Radio Committee and the FM Chip Working Group comprised of members across Canada, Mexico and the United States,” said Michael McEwen, director-general of NABA. “As broadcast industry leaders, we thank the ITU for the global support of FM enabled smartphones.”
The Official Opinion from the ITU, (reproduced in the sidebar), states “that Report ITU-R BT.2299 provides a compilation of supporting evidence that terrestrial broadcasting plays a critically important role in disseminating information to the public in times of emergencies.” In addition, “...citizens of the world would benefit if manufacturers of mobile telephones, tablets, and similar devices as well as associated service providers would include and activate a broadcast radio tuner functionality in their products along with the appropriate applications to facilitate radio broadcasting reception.”
The opinion was initially submitted to the Radiocommunication sector of the ITU in Geneva in October of 2016, and was discussed, edited, and approved at the March 2017 meetings of the ITU’s Study Group 6,which specializes in broadcasting services. NABA’s submission was supported by the European Broadcasting Union, International Association of Broadcasting, the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union and the World Broadcasting Unions as well as a number of administrations, NABA said.
