[BC] iBiquity was Digital Radio Express

[Ernie Belanger]

>For now we must  hope that Ibiquity will not be able to get the FCC to lock 
>in their system and  mandate conversion.
> Rich KRDE

Rich, it is already happening.

First it will never be a mandated technology in that iBiquity's(IB's) 
puppets ,on advice I am sure from (IB's legal beagles)are being very clever 
in how they are approaching the FCC. IB's millions spent on Lawyers has made 
sure they found a loop hole.

FCC will be and is being approached, by some of the big lambs like CPB and 
Clear Channel, to adopt this as, a non-mandatory standard. By doing it this 
way the standard goes on the books as The Digital Standard in the US but 
stations are not made to adopt it. It will remain as a voluntary US 
standard, like FM Stereo is (stations are not forced to broadcast in stereo 
but if they do they must conform to the US FM Stereo Standard.

So if a station chooses to broadcast in Digital whenever they choose to do 
so, it will have use the iBiquity system. This is a blatant back door 
government endorsement of a Monopoly but because it will be adopted as 
voluntary it fits though the loophole. Stations are not being forced to 
adopt it nor are they being forced to broadcast in digital.

The push for this will site 3 main points #1 there is no competing system, 
#2 the industry has already accepted this as a default standard (see #1) and 
the FCC needs to take action to ensure receiver manufacturers will have the 
proper motivation to make radios.

(I find the 3rd argument rather interesting since there was and is not a 
Digital Satellite Broadcast Standard yet receivers for both XM and Sirrus 
are readily available.)

Since there is not competing system available now and if it is not mandatory 
stations will not be forced to adopt it then it is a easy steamrole over the 
commission with minimum objection from the broadcasters and virtually none 
from the public both of which seem to have proven themselves, it appears, 
too stupid to see the Emperors clothing for what it is.

We may be able to stop it if each of us writes to both out US Senators and 
our US Congressman from our district explaining how the FCC anointing this 
as a standard will make it virtually impossible for any competing system to 
come to market in the future even though it may be a better system etc. And 
asking them to stop it. Who knows.

But this steamroller has been on a roll now for a lot of years and few have 
had the Chutzpa to stand up to it.

Ernie