[BC] Moving out of band

[Phil Alexander]

On 22 Jan 2006 at 9:09, DANA PUOPOLO wrote:

 > You wouldn't, Phil. They would be able to keep their AM stations, 
just as IBOC
 > FM is allowed to keep their main channel FM transmitters.
 > An out of band solutionn isn't a perfect one, but it's much better then the
 > mutually assured destruction an MA in band one will bring.

While this was done to promote FM which would have withered and
died otherwise, based on recent actions (ex-band AM and DTV) I
doubt the Commish would be inclined to let broadcasters have their
cake and eat it. A forced trade in an out of band solution scenario
is more likely IMHO.

It seems logical to me that one of the unstated reasons for "IBOC"
in addition to preservation of the coverage status quo was forcing
the receiver manufacturers to convert without a Federal mandate.
One of the problems is the limited authority of the FCC to set
receiver standards, and this was a way around that.

I agree that an out of band solution is ideal in many ways provided
receivers are forced into the hands of the listening public as they
are with IBOC. However, without complete re-farming of the MW band,
I don't see it working very well in practice. The problem is allocation
IMHO. There is probably enough spectrum below the AM band to first give
the Class A's digital channels with equalized coverage if the rest of
the world cooperates, but complete conversion to digital at the local
level would take generations, and I'd think you would have as many
crying foul that they were not allowed to compete on an equal (digital)
footing. I'm thinking of conversion of A's on a dual basis first, then
when digital is firmly established they would have to give up their
present channels which would be used for dual operation of B's and D's
for a shorter transition period, then transition the C's last. But,
as I said, too many non-technical problems exist and it takes too many
years.

The real problem, as I see it, is we waited far too long to upgrade
AM to something better, something with more capability and less
prone to audible interference. Leadership at the FCC and NAB has
been in a state of decline for decades, and IMHO that is the real
root of the problem.