NAB applauds Markey HD bill

An effort to make inclusion of AM, FM and HD reception on satellite radio receivers the law of the land is afoot on Capitol Hill, and the National Association of Broadcasters is highly enthusiastic about the proposition. It comes from a bipartisan group in the House, led by Ed Markey (D-MA). Former small radio group owner Greg Walden (R-OR) is among the co-sponsors of the Radio All Digital Channel Receiver Act, H.R. 7157, along with Lee Terry (R-NE), Charlie Gonzalez (D-TX), Joe Wilson (R-SC) and Dan Burton (R-IN).

"NAB salutes the leadership of Chairman Markey and a bipartisan group of lawmakers for sponsoring this important bill that will boost the integration of HD Radio in satellite radio receivers, including those installed in automobiles," said NAB President and CEO David K. Rehr. "In addition to providing 235 million weekly listeners with entertainment and music programming, free local radio stations have a long tradition of serving as a lifeline during times of crisis. This legislation will extend and enhance these services as radio stations embrace our digital future."

RBR/TVBR observation: It was amazing enough that both the DOJ and the FCC allowed XM and Sirius to become a government-sanctioned monopoly, even though the pair had flaunted many conditions of their licenses, including – amazingly -- the failure to provide interoperable receivers so they could effectively compete with one another as intended, and of course even more amazingly, the condition that they never ever be allowed to merge in the first place. The decision to require these nationally-programmed companies to provide receivers with access to critical emergency information from local broadcasters, as is the case with cable and satellite television, should have been made when the merger was granted. Have an opinion on this article? Post your comment below.