iBiquity goes on an FCC meeting spree

Why don't all these freeloaders go to Apple and make these lubricious demands. HD Radio in every iPod. Chester Davenport and Jesse Jackson should blackmail Steve Jobs for 20% of AAPL.

Have you figured out by now that the FCC WANTS these special interest groups asking for the moon/stars? .... This allows them to justify their decisional angst, drag the process out, and create the appearance of "fairness".

I very much disrespect the FCC at this point. It has all become political.

I am with you Plowboy at this point, Martin, knowing that he is gone after the decision on Sirius/Xm merger is allowing every moronic group to put their two cents in. What needs to be done is that, the FCC Charter needs to ratified so that the public or any group can only hold meetings with the FCC up until 2 or 3 weeks after the DOJ has made their decision, by doing this you would basically limit all of the freak shows asking for stupid shit.

If the FCC is doing this for "effect" like you suggest....um....don't you think they are kinda OVERDOING it???

Lol. I mean seriously. They've already taken longer than ANY time in history so far. Do you REALLY think they need to give the appearance that they are not "rushing" to judgement???

Come on. This fiasco has gone on long enough. All I know is they BETTER come to a decision THIS month.

I think Sirius has tolerated the delay so far...but if the FCC doesn't decide by June 30th, I predict Mel finally speaking out in HARSH terms. Theres only so much he can take...and we are at the tipping point.

Mitchman79k wrote, "What needs to be done is that, the FCC Charter needs to ratified so that the public or any group can only hold meetings with the FCC up until 2 or 3 weeks after the DOJ has made their decision, by doing this you would basically limit all of the freak shows asking for stupid shit."

I do not think every decision that the FCC has to make has to also be decided by the DOJ as well.

iBiquity reviewed it's proposal to require that all satellite radios that are able to receive AM/FM (read: the majority of OEM receivers that have been installed by automakers Detroit-Auto-Show-2008 ) must also include the ability to receive HD Radio."

I think they have this all wrong. Wouldn't it be "ALL AM/FM radios that receive satellite radio" be more appropriate since they are 2 different boxes. The satellite box is not part of the OEM radio it is just an extension of it from a different device installed somewhere in the car.

Is iBiquity going to have all HD radios that are able to receive AM/FM, include the ability to receive satellite radio? Doubt it! iBiquity Go Screw!!!

More "BS" from blind, ignorant, satradio fanboys.

Your desperate push for the decision which WILL hasten the demise of the entire satradio industry. Funny most of us rather small group of satradio subs are happy with what we have now, we have choice, direct competition, and all the positives which come along with direct competition.

NO! to "merge" MONOPOLY
NO! to blind, ignorant fanboys
YES! to the FCC doing their JOB

IF THE FCC FOLLOWED THEIR OWN RULES, THIS MATTER WOULD HAVE BEEN RESOLVED. IF THE FOLLOWING LINK IS REVIEWED, THEN YOU WILL SEE THAT THE FCC IS WRONG:
http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-07-2417A1.doc

IF THEY CAN NOT FOLLOW ITS OWN RULES, THEN THEY SHOULD BE REMOVED, AND THE FCC BE INVESTIGATED CRIMINALY.

Of course they're going to drag it out, the longer it takes, the more money they get for their retirement, you don't think stupid decisions like this are cheap to settle do you? Just think of all that money exchanging hands.Their legacy will be the same as the present occupant of the Whitehoues's: He'll be remembered for this idiotic war and the FCC will be remembered for allowing IBOC to do it's best to kill terrestrial radio and almost killing satellite radio, this is what another republican luminary Ronald "There you go again" Reagan meant when he had one of his more lucid advisers coin the phrase "trickle down theory"

Robert D Young Jr
33 S Main St #2B
Millbury, MA
KB1OKL

Good for you Ryan!!!! I got to admit, I would have done that awhile ago, but I got no patience.

I think it is good that the special interest groups get their say, but the time frame for voicing this was last year.. why do they get to keep voicing their opinion now?? and also why didn't they make radios with satellite radio capabilities ten years or even longer ago.. just because there wasn't satellite radio isn't an excuse.. same with i-pod access, why didn't my stereo have that back in the eighties?? because back then cassettes were big.. and records were being fazed out.. and radio was just starting to suck (thanks clear channel) and now they want HD radio to be added with the ability to get either or both satellite radio services.. but what about future systems.. like internet radio or heaven forbid the ability to transmit (on line) your own music from your own computer to your own radio receiver... I want the bathtub and the kitchen sink.. I want it all... actually that's not true.. I want my satellite radio to pick up just that.. and I'll buy a AM/FM HD radio when and if this form of radio is worth having... booya!!

No wonder, iBiquity is making so may enemies. Now, even HD Radio manufacturers are turning against iBiquity. Hopefully, there will be more manufacturers who have the balls to stand up to these frequency hijackers!

Good News! Saw this over at www.siriusbackstage.com

FCC asked to consider revoking XM and Sirius licenses
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080601-fcc-asked-to-consider-revoking-xm-and-sirius-licenses.html

Interesting FACT did anyone know this? - "The FCC originally made this interoperability a condition for XM and Sirius to obtain their Digital Audio Radio Satellite (DARS) licenses."

http://xmsiriusmonopoly.org/

Ryan the slogan might be over used and is too repetitive, however there are current sat radio subscribers who have nothing to do with NAB, FCC, nothing to personally gain or loose with a "merge" BUT think some truth needs to added into the kool-aid line. There is nothing concrete that a "merge" would help anybody other than satradio management, and it's not even concrete that a "merge" would help them. Instead of bashing the lawmakers and other groups for making their opinions about the "merge" known, in my opinion, Orbitcast would certainly be more helpful, more helpful to the satradio industry and consumers, more true to "an evangelist of the satellite radio medium, technology and business model." by pointing out both sides of the "merge". Must be mistaken that most satradio sub's prefer choice, prefer that there is direct competition in the industry. It's not 100% proven that a "merge" would benefit anyone.

@JRS fan

"Regarding the Technical Aspects of the SDARS Providers XM and Sirius"

"There are significant differences in certain technical aspects of the two SDARS systems as deployed by XM and Sirius. The systems as currently deployed are not interoperable. That is to say, an XM receiver cannot receive the Sirius signal and vice versa. Thus, as is true today, if the proposed merger of XM and Sirius were consummated, consumers would still need to purchase a new interoperable receiver in order to receive the signals of both providers. These differences in system operation, function, and structure make the design and implementation of a single unified and interoperable receiver both complex and expensive. In fact, both XM and Sirius have been working in a joint venture to develop an interoperable radio since 2000. At this time, no interoperable radios have been introduced into commercial production."

http://tinyurl.com/2kek8t

Besides the unenforced FCC mandate concerning interoperable receivers, what's the point if they are both complex and expensive, and as it stands, doesn't even include the proposed mandated HD Radio chips. These receivers would not even be practical.

Wasn't HD radio considered dead , a while back ?

Oh for cryin' out loud , what next ?

Tomorrow , the National Toilet Paper Producers Association meets with the FCC .

@ JRS fan (no doubt the former Coward)

This forum has aired ALL views regarding the merger, freely, openly and without prejudice. No one needed any lessons from you on the value, or lack thereof, of the merger.

May I remind you the shareolders OWN the companies and their vote is a matter of record.

As I wrote over a year ago when this process started: there are pros and cons to the merger, as there are to any other issue out there.

The sickness comes from people who are ludicrously emotional over an issue that is not only socially insignificant, but even within the media world is completely overblown as to it's significance.

We see a phony organization like C3SR, which has yet to respond to my queries, questioning SATELLITE RADIO'S "truthfulness and candor!" How's THAT for a pair of stones?

And the line of beltway hookers stretches back as far as the eye can see.

The merger itself is no longer the issue- the actions of the FCC are, and Mr. Martin has a lot of questions to answer. No doubt the NAB has a position waiting for him.

Pocketradio

Who says the interoperable radio's have to be complex, expensive, and not practical?

Your HD Radio bias is all over the web, just a quick question though why does a individual start a web site to slam a technology which has no effect on them? Put the bias aside for a sec and understand IBiq's HD Radio technology for better or worse is the chosen technology to upgrade analog radio to digital radio in the US and other country's, why fight it? why not let it be and be another choice for consumers when it comes to radio entertainment? 1000's of terrestrial radio stations have or already in the process of upgrading their gear to iBiq's HD Radio, one might have to give some credit for those which have chosen to upgrade, most corporations require good reasons for investing money on new technology.

Again iBiq is a company which holds the technology which manufactures need to produce radio's to sell to consumers, much like qualcomm there is always friction between technology patent holder and the manufactures which want a better deal there is no perfect world. I don't think HD Radio should be ruled as a must have for sat radio receiver's, however I do know Sirius and xm have not done all they can to make interoperable radio's as they were told to do to gain their licenses. A good example is GSM and CDMA technology's are not compatible HOWEVER since the consumer wanted/needed interoperable phones the manufactures found a way to make them, and make them no more expensive than other devices of the same class. Sirius and xm have smart manufactures making gear for them they could have the interoperable radios in consumers hands long ago as requested. USING interoperable radios as a excuse for "merge" is a insult to people who can think and understand technology.

IF new radios are compatible with AM/FM/HD/SAT and it benefits the consumer whats the beef? The bias seen in my opinion is fear of HD Radio being able to either prove itself or fail, IF HD Radio is what you claim it is Pocketradio then satradio has nothing to worry about, which makes bias websites and false information kinda silly no?

Max,

good points but if sirius and xm are not being 100% on the up and up (which they are not) then why not expect critic's of the action's to use the same tactics? Also what shareholders want is not always what is best for consumers. Sure xm shareholders want this merge BAD since their investment is going no where but down, but should FCC rules and requirements be overlooked so that xm shareholders can get a government approved buyout? should xm shareholders gain when it's the consumers and most likely the entire sat radio industry which will decline with a "merge"? Like content is king on sat radio, direct competition between Sirius and xm has done wonders for what we currently call sat radio. Since Sirius and xm have not lived up to requirements to the agreements they made not too long ago to even get operation licesnses why should more requirements and agreements be allowed to be ignored? Remember this "merge" is not 100% proven to be a positive for consumers, when competition is removed, history shows us what happens to most products.

special interest groups and the like are sadly all part of Washington, sadly it's all part of the game. Then again as pointed out Sirius and xm have and are also playing games too. NONE of the groups and games are good for consumers.

@ AC #1 "Put the bias aside for a sec and understand IBiq's HD Radio technology for better or worse is the chosen technology to upgrade analog radio to digital radio in the US and other country's, why fight it?"

There's nothing to "fight." If there was any demand for the technology no one would need mandates to include on devices no one cares if the service is on.

HD is a dead end so far, and I defy to you name one industry publication that doesn't admit this.

If HD ever becomes viable on it's own, the consumer will demand it. No need to bring a suitcase of cash with job offers to the FCC.

@JRS fan

Who says? The NAB themselves, you idiot!

@ AC #2 "good points but if sirius and xm are not being 100% on the up and up (which they are not) then why not expect critic's of the action's to use the same tactics?"

They have been for decades, but you're a little late to the party.

If you're going to use SatRad's lack of interoperability a some kind of moral leverage, by the same logic we should send Mr. Rehr and his pack of lying minions to Guantanamo. Like by today.

You just parrot the same old line about "good old competition." This has been debated to death, and either you believe that SatRad- as a medium in itself- DOES compete with other entertainment delivery devices like Ipods, Cell Phones, Slacker, LastFM, etc- or you reject it.

Both arguments have some intellectual merit to them, but neither side can admit to that. I lean towards the merger simply because I believe it will accrue more benefit to the medium itself, which in turn benefits the consumer of the product. We have one poster here who is ready to commit suicide since he is afraid a merged entity will result in shallower playlists. Whenever I think that way, I pop open a tall boy of Icehouse beer.

In any case, we have many of our young people coming home from Iraq in very sorry shape. It is a pity that one of the things they are protecting is the ability of this gallery of whores to manipulate a public process like this. Pity none of these petitioners is made of the stuff these brave young Americans are.

@JRS fan

"Your HD Radio bias is all over the web, just a quick question though why does a individual start a web site to slam a technology which has no effect on them?"

Glad that you have noticed, and that it bothers you - the Mexican broadcast authorities have noticed, too:

"Telecom & Media Gabriel Sosa Gabriel Sosa"

"Despite the enthusiasm of iBiquity, creator of the standard, the technology does not penetrate as I want and foresight studies (see performed by the firm Bridge Ratings, www.bridgeratings.com) observed a much more favourable scenario for Internet radio that for terrestrial digital radio. In the guidelines were included at the request of COFEM, the pros and cons of the standards of digital radio. The IBOC case highlights the issue of interference, especially in AM. The United States has an enormous inconvenience for that and other aspects related to technology. Several Internet sites dealing with the problem, as IBOC Stop Now (www.stopiboc.com) and HD Radio Is a Farce? (hdradiofarce.blogspot.com). It is useful to consult them, now that Mexico is a decisive step."

http://tinyurl.com/6yrztn

Now, the Mexicans are setting up on their northern border to jam our IBLOCK stations back. Thanks for the recognition - I have over three thousand links to my blog on the Web, and it sits next to iBiquity's site, when searching Google for "HD Radio:

http://tinyurl.com/4ome62

http://tinyurl.com/3usdlp

@JRS fan

"1000's of terrestrial radio stations have or already in the process of upgrading their gear to iBiq's HD Radio"

"Have 200 HD Radio stations gone missing?"

"The HD Radio camp is advertising that there are currently over 1,500 radio stations now broadcasting in HD (from its website, to press releases as well as in various other promotions)... but yet only 1,300 have filed with the FCC."

http://www.orbitcast.com/archives/have-200-hd-radio-stations-gone-missing.html

"Editorial: More Than Half Full"

"AM-HD continues to fight uphill. Several manufacturers showed impressive new transmitter models designed to optimize and maintain HD performance. Yet the growth of AM-HD stations coming on the air appears stalled and we hear murmurings about some broadcasters pulling back on AM-HD or wishing to renegotiate their commitments with Ibiquity."

http://www.rwonline.com/pages/s.0044/t.13363.html

"Bellwether BE Makes Some Changes?"

"It’s probably no secret that the rate of HD Radio adoption has slowed in the United States. There are new opportunities that exist in other countries; Mexico and Brazil come to mind; sales there are few but promising. The whole industry is in a bit of a null in the HD transition but I don’t think anyone’s long-term plans have changed.”

http://www.rwonline.com/pages/s.0044/t.9546.html

Oh, really?

There are at is minute 1,712 radio station using (and making money) from HD Radio technology. There are 100's of device manufactures making money from devices with HD Radio technology built in. There are 100's of stores selling HD Radio's. HD Radio has admitted they are not as popular as satradio at the current time, but don't think that is a reason to label the technology as dead end. IBiq, and other companies are making money from HD Radio technology and radio stations are using HD Radio technology. It's not at all a "dead end" and not so sure another choice for consumers should be written off without all the facts and without bias. Remember there are 100's of millions more consumers listening to AM/FM and some HD, that subscribers to sat radio. AM/FM analog to digital transition to HD Radio shouldn't be bias'ly written due to fear of how it might prove itself to be a better business plan when compared to sat radios' which hasn't exactly proven itself a winner either.

It doesn't take much to see some Orbitcast posters are drinking the kool-aid about the "merge" without thinking about facts behind the "merge" Placing blame on everyone but Sirius and xm for not fast tracking and bowing to the games of Mel and company.

There is no need for sirius and xm to "bring a suitcase of cash with job offers to the FCC" to sidestep agreements and regulation either but we see that being done too.

Julian L. Shepard

Washington, D.C.
Voice (202) 293-8111
FAX (202) 293-5939
jshepard@williamsmullen.com
Practice Areas
Business
Communications
Multistate Corporate Compliance & Public Policy Group

Julian Shepard chairs the Communications practice group and is a partner in the Business section at Williams Mullen. He provides counsel on business transactions, especially the planning, negotiation and execution of business strategies involving communications assetsl; services; and federal, state and local governmental approvals. He is an advocate and lobbyist for leading companies and industries before Congress and various federal agencies.

In addition to his experience in private practice, Mr. Shepard has served as the vice president and general counsel of the Association for Maximum Service Television ("MSTV"), a senior policy advisor at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration ("NTIA"), and as assistant general counsel of the National Association of Broadcasters.

Education
Indiana University (Bloomington), J.D. - 1983
Indiana University (Bloomington), B.S., with honors and high distinction - 1980

Professional Affiliations
American Arbitration Association
American Bar Association
District of Columbia Bar
Federal Communications Bar Association
Federal Spectrum Policy and Planning Advisory Committee at the U.S. Department of Commerce
Minority Media and Telecommunications Council, Lifetime Member

Awards and Honors
Listed in Marquis' Who's Who in American Law and Who's Who in America
Recognized as one of Washington's "Legal Elite" by Washington SmartCEO magazine
Paul Harris Fellow, Rotary International Foundation

Representations

Regulatory and adjudicatory matters before the Federal Communications Commission
Business transactions involving communications assets or services
Congressional lobbying and policy advocacy

Community Involvement
Capitol Hill Rotary Club, Charter Member
The Fund for American Studies, Board of Regents

http://www.williamsmullen.com/attorneys/attorney_detail/shepardj.htm

How interesting - JRS's link points back to Julian L. Shepard.

Oh PocketRadio your wrong. Your extreme bias toward HD Radio doesn't bother me in the least, but certainly with knowledge of it puts your comments as bias at best, to the point of schizophrenic. It takes a real special person to start a web site to post bias BS about a technology especially a technology that they have a personal problem with.

PS you forgot to answer why your so bias against a technology which has nothing to do with you nor one which has anything to do with your enjoyment of other radio technology.

@JRS fan

"There are 100's of device manufactures making money from devices with HD Radio technology built"

“HD Radio on the Offense”

“But after an investigation of HD Radio units, the stations playing HD, and the company that owns the technology; and some interviews with the wonks in DC, it looks like HD Radio is a high-level corporate scam, a huge carny shill.”

http://www.eastbayexpress.com/2007-03-07/music/hd-radio-on-the-offense

"Radio: Ponzi's back!"

"In 1918, we had Charles Ponzi. Ninety years later, we have Peter 'Sgt. Bilk-o' Ferrara. Schemes. From Ponzi to HD Radio. Ibiquity has the license and collects the fees. The HD Radio Alliance, which Sgt. Bilk-o runs, does the fast-talkin’, slow walkin’ hype. Right? Like the other schemes, the HD Radio edition begins with a hard-sell sales pitch to hook you in and establish the product. Right?"

http://gormanmediablog.blogspot.com/2008/03/radio-ponzis-back_27.html

"RAIN: Consumers, Wall Street Not Buying HD"

"Admit it. You’ve secretly wondered why the radio industry has invested so much in HD radio. You’ve secretly wondered what the big payoff is. Here’s some advice if you still have a job in radio: keep it secret and don’t wonder out loud. In fact, you probably want to be seen gulping as much HD Kool-Aid as you possibly can, lest your name appear on one of those increasingly numerous slips that are coloring the halls of radio stations in Pepto-Bismol pink... There is no apparent revenue model for HD Radio. So what's the play here? There doesn’t seem to be one."

http://tinyurl.com/3cqnyq

"HD Radio spinners claim a breakthrough year: Pulling a fast one"

"According to a press release from the Alliance 330,000 HD receivers were sold last year. This is a 725 per cent increase from the 40,000 sets purchased a year earlier and therefore 2007 was a 'breakthrough year' for the technology. In 2008 they will sell a million of the things."

http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/02/08/hd-radio-spinners-attempt-fast

Oh, really?

@JRS fan

"Radio: The U.K.'s Digital death notice"

"Ferrara came out of hiding this week to fallaciously proclaim that HD radio-only stations – those that you can hear only on an HD Radio receiver - are writing business and making money... Reality check: HD Radio isn’t going to bill anything – period."

http://tinyurl.com/33mtuo

HD Radio will never bill anything, beause there will never be enough listeners. HD Radio is a Ponzi Scheme that is only benefiting iNiquity and the HD Radio transmitter manufacturers.
Most of the few 130,000 HD radios sold have been returned as defective - no wonder, Pioneer is the frist to turn against iNiquity.

So what is your schizophrenic solution to the upgrade from analog to digital pocketradio? Stop all progress forward since progress make you fearful? Let all companies "merge" to corner market places? Call the FCC's

How can you say/backup your bias claim of "HD Radio will never bill anything, beause there will never be enough listeners?" Oh thats right you backup your bias BS with other bias BS written by those also fearful of change and progress. Funny you think all those major and minor terrestrial radio corporations where fooled into buying iBiq's HD Radio technology, what even more funny is the cute names and misspellings you use. However your bias and BS is wasted on those without the ability to think and understand pocketradio and his posts, websites are nothing but ramblings of a fearful and schizophrenic person. thank goodness the web lets sick persons like you produce hate web sites against technology which they dont fully understand, have a personal problems with, then uses bias and BS to try to fool others into distrust..... of a technology. A technology which the FCC gave the nod to, a technology that major and minor radio stations have spent money on as they move from analog to digital. Seems many others not only KNOW but have PROVEN pocketradio's postings for what they truly are... Bias and BS.

Oh and remember HD Radio is a technology which is for free radio, it's not a open technology which would certainly be a step up but neither was FM or AM. The public benefits by having the FCC a standard technology which happens to be HD Radio. Nothing pocketradio can do but spread bias and bs. The rest of us can enjoy watching radio transition from analog to digital (with all the benefits that it brings) which is not something that happens in a few years (which pocketradio also seems to think) No the transition will take some time as the public upgrades radios and the broadcasters upgrade. Luckly iBiq's HD Radio technology is backwards compatible and can be overlaid in the same bandwidth making the transition easier for all involved.

@JRS aka. Julian L. Shepard

"So what is your schizophrenic solution to the upgrade from analog to digital pocketradio?"

"Germany flicks off-switch on DAB"

"Part of the problem is that analogue FM never went away and most people didn't seem to care for the clear digital-quality sound, and were left nonplussed by such benefits as easy tuning and message displays with song names and titles. DAB is struggling almost everywhere in Europe."

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/01/28/germany_switches_dab_off/

"Report: Future Of U.K. Digital Radio May Be Bleak"

"LONDON -- January 30, 2008: A report from Enders Analysis found that digital audio broadcasting, or DAB, is in trouble due to the high cost of transmission and slow revenue growth, U.K. newspaper the Guardian reports."

http://www.radioink.com/HeadlineEntry.asp?hid=140877&pt=todaysnews

"Macquarie Radio execs: delays have ‘killed’ the future of digital radio"

"Macquarie Radio Network says years of delays had 'killed' the future of digital radio, which was being overtaken by broadband services, third-generation mobiles and digital devices such as iPods, reports Australian IT."

http://tinyurl.com/34p4lz

"Digital Radio in Canada"

"The Commission is very concerned about the stalled DRB transition. Roughly 15 of the 76 authorized stations (including the digital-only operation in Toronto) are not on the air. Some stations that once operated have since ceased operations. Few recievers have been sold, and there is no interest in expanding DRB service beyond the six cities where it exists."

http://americanbandscan.blogspot.com/2006/12/digital-radio-in-canada.html

Digital radio has been a complete failure around the world - digital radio simply doesn't work well on the broadcast bands; digital radio suffers from poor coverage, dropouts, and interference. There is nothing wrong with analog - it's the programming, stupid! HD Radio is something that iBiquity/HD Alliance wants - consumers have zero interest. Digital radio was tried for a number of years in the UK and Canada, but just as with HD Radio, it stalled. I just quote other professional's work, such as John Gorman, Jerry Del Colliano, and Mark Ramsey - personally, I have no opinion in this matter.

@JRS aka. Julian L. Shepard

"IBOC TECHNOLOGY: An Assessment of Technical & Operational Issues in the Canadian FM Radio Environment"

"For a variety of reasons relating to the time requirements for digital signal processing, it takes 8-10 seconds for the digital audio signals to be heard when an HD Radio receiver is first tuned to a transmission. Likewise, it can take equally long to restore digital quality when the signal fails and then returns again. A secondary consequence of this processing delay is that programming fed to the analog FM transmitter must be delayed by 8-10 seconds whenever the blending feature is being utilized. This ensures that content is not lost when the receiver switches back to analog mode during a digital signal failure. Stations using this technology may need to implement certain internal operational changes to accommodate the fact that off-air listeners will experience delays of up to 10 seconds with both the analog and digital versions of their programming. Since no analog program version exists for ancillary HD2 or HD3 programming, listeners experiencing digital failures must simply tolerate audio outages until the signal restores itself."

http://www.cab-acr.ca/english/radio/dab/DRCG_Report_final.pdf

Quite the state-of-the-art technology, wouldn't you say?

@JRS aka. Julian L. Shepard

"Congress: FCC process appears broken"

"The bottom line is that the FCC process appears broken and most of the blame appears to rest with Chairman Martin, wrote Commerce and Energy Committee staff members in the April 28th memo to committee chairman Rep. John D. Dingell (D-Mich.), and Rep. Bart Stupakhoward-dean-goofball Mar-31-2008 (D-Mich.), chairman of the subcommittee on oversight and investigations."

http://tinyurl.com/46zvj2

"Judge tells FCC to rework powerline broadband regulations"

"The ARRL and other ham radio groups have been consistently critical of BPL, arguing that the technology causes interference on their receivers... In its ruling, the three-judge panel said that federal law required the FCC to make all portions of the studies available, and that the Commission didn't adequately explain how it arrived at its criteria for determining when a BPL signal causes harmful interference."

http://tinyurl.com/47nqb9

"NAB to Seek FCC Approval of Major IBOC Power Boost"

"For some broadcasters, however, the fact that the NAB has apparently signed on to the recommendation without first revealing details of this rather secretive study to its general membership is both striking and troubling."

http://tinyurl.com/66dg52

"HD Radio fails miserably"

"I've been in touch with Congressman Dingell's office, and have brought the iBiquity-lobbying IBOC situation to his attention as his office probes how the Commission conducts its business. I have further offered to testify before his Subcommittee if they have interest in pursuing how HD Radio was allowed to find the light of day."

Bob Savage, CEO, WYSL

http://tinyurl.com/5mu8cn

Let's see, what comes of Chairman Dingell's investigation.

How interesting - JRS's link points back to Julian L. Shepard.

Who happens to be the shyster representing the phony group C3SR.

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080601-fcc-asked-to-consider-revoking-xm-and-sirius-licenses.html

PocketRadio / Anonymous Coward posting more of his schizophrenic hate towards a technology. (Does everyone know this special person also has dedicated at least one web site to his personal schizophrenic quest in doing everything he can to BS and spin about HD Radio? Not joking google "pocketradio" and get a taste of schizophrenic venom towards a technology which he doesn't support, and because of that has nothing to do with him.... Thats some special schizophrenic dedication, that is also all the more reason to question and really learn the truth about matters, information on the internet especially when posted by special individuals like pocketradio really makes one wonder. THE technology the US (and other countries) have chosen as THE HD Radio technology by iBiq. to upgrade from analog to digital radio. There are many benefits to upgrading which those who have put their money down to invest in iBiq's technology can attest to. Interesting such a non-expert (who thinks he is) posting BS and bias information wouldn't be able to figure out that every communication technology out there is going from analog to digital. Our own sat radio is digital, tv, phone, internet all upgrading to digital. Seems that silly FACT that more information can fit digitally into the same space a tiny amount of information fit into the same space using analog, the bandwidth savings alone make the upgrade worth while.

We can keep going back and forth but the TRUTH is the FCC in the US (and those in other countries) gave iBiq's HD Radio technology the nod as THE standard. It's already installed and/or being rolled out to thousands of radio stations. The 1st generation gear is out there in retail, with 2nd generation coming soon. There are many 100 millions more listening to AM/FM (with the upgrade path to HD Radio) than will ever have sat radio.

pocketradio you should be more than ashamed for your posts and your desire to mislead fellow consumers.

"Digital Audio Broadcasting Systems and Their Impact on the Terrestrial Radio Broadcast Service"

15. We will not establish a deadline for radio stations to convert to digital broadcasting. Stations may decide if, and when, they will provide digital service to the public. Several reasons support this decision. First, unlike television licensees, radio stations are under no statutory mandate to convert to a digital format. Second, a hard deadline is unnecessary given that DAB uses an in-band technology that does not require the allocation of additional spectrum. Thus, the spectrum reclamation needs that exist for DTV do not exist here. Moreover, there is no evidence in the record that marketplace forces cannot propel the DAB conversion forward, and effective markets tend to provide better solutions than regulatory schemes.

16. iBiquity argues that in the early stages of the transition, the Commission should favor and protect existing analog signals. It states that this could be accomplished by limiting the power level and bandwidth occupancy of the digital carriers in the hybrid mode. At some point in the future, when the Commission determines there is sufficient market penetration of digital receivers, iBiquity asserts that the public interest will be best served by reversing this presumption to favor digital operations. At that time, broadcasters will no longer need to protect analog operations by limiting the digital signal and stations should have the option to implement all-digital broadcasts. We decline to adopt iBiquity's presumption policy because it is too early in the DAB conversion process for us to consider such a mechanism. We find that such a policy, if adopted now, may have unknown and unintended consequences for a new technology that has yet to be accepted by the public or widely adopted by the broadcast industry.

http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/EPA-IMPACT/2007/August/Day-15/i15922.htm

It's up to the marketplace to determine the fate of HD Radio, and consumers have voted "NO" with their wallets. Why all the anger?

Oh PocketRadio there you go again...

Consumers have yet to vote when it comes to HD Radio relax and watch as the transition will take more than a few short years

Anger? Better look in the mirror and perhaps aso ask your doctor why you have anger and feel the need to not only make web sites, but also post bias BS over a technology standard.

Nice try but you can't fool everyone.....

The AC:
"Anger? Better look in the mirror and perhaps aso ask your doctor why you have anger and feel the need to not only make web sites, but also post bias BS over a technology standard."

OK Ryan- you can ban him now. Thanks.

"HD Radio: Will More Awareness Translate To Sales?"

"Unfortunately, Ibiquity does not: Yes, they have gotten many radio stations to make the $100,000 or so investment required to add HD Radio broadcasting, but what the leave out of their PR spin is that MANY of these stations were Public Radio/NPR stations that had their equipment paid for by special funding from Congress. So tell me, senior executives from, say, Sony, Mitsubishi, Best Buy, etc.: How do you feel about Ibiquity''s lobbyists getting US taxpayers to pick up the tab for many of their transmitter sales? Wouldn''t it be great if your lobbyists could get Congress to mandate that US taxpayers be required to buy your products, too? Do you even slightly care? Ibiquity will take their money and run, and HD Radio will join a long list of failed formats, like Dolby FM radio, Elcassete, mini disk (in the US), etc."

http://tinyurl.com/37pe7t

Someone here wanted to know why pocketradio hates HD? I don't know but I'll tell you why I hate it, well at least one of a few of the myriad reasons: one of which is the complete shyster mentality of the pushers of this junk technology which doe NOT work anywhere near as advertised. Why is this big push going on and where is the money coming from? If this were widgets, the widget alliance would have long ago given up and cut their losses, where is all the money coming from for a technology which obviously no one wants and no one except for iNiquity is making any money from? Are these radio conglomerates actually that stupid or desperate that they will spend all kinds of money for transmitters and antennas for perhaps .001% of their listeners? Can you find any HD receivers in any stores? No? Me neither. Who is behind this, the mob? The government? There is no logical reason why iNiquity still actually exists, there are practically no receivers sold, practically no one listens to it outside of a few technology nuts who have to have the latest thing whether it works or not. This whole thing stinks. Digital radio in any form is not going over big anywhere in the world, what is the matter with these people?
It definitely interferes with my radio listening and a lot of other people's whether they know it or not (probably not) it creates noise all over the band, especially the AM band and creates co-channel interference and this may suddenly get much worse on FM if the iBlock Alliance has it's way, that of increasing the digital carrier portion of the signal 10 db. This will create chaos on the FM band jsut as there is on the AM band, HD or Hybrid Digital as it is properly known is a legal jammer creating legal harmful interference against the FCC's own rules.

Robert D Young Jr
33 S Main St #2B
Millbury, MA
KB1OKL

@JRS aka. Julian L. Shepard

Kind of like the "shysters" and "schizophrenics" that run this site:

http://xmsiriusmonopoly.org/

Your reaction to my site obviously tells me that I am doing my job. You should see the Google Stats for my site, as I have gotten many hits from all over the world, including Brazil, Mexicao, and many of the countries that are testing IBOC. I hope that the "shysters" at iBiquity/HD Allaince are enjoying my site.

pocketradio if your "job" = showing yourself as a nut your doing a great "job".

However taking a step back, iBiq's HD Radio technology is just that, your rants and schizophrenic bias, bs posts are a bit over the top for a technology standard which doesn't effect you, you yourself pointed out analog radio is still underlaid so it's not like your loosing that. IF HD Radio is as bad as you claim (others claim the opposite) then it's not even competition for sat radio, though the fear is probably what prompts your strange and schizophrenic quest to put up false web sites and blanket the web with false, bias information where ever you search and find HD Radio mentioned. It's a technology standard selected in 2002 by the FCC as the U.S. digital radio broadcasting standard. There is nothing a silly website or web posts from a schizophrenic person is going to solve. It's officially adopted by the U.S. and Brazil as the technology for upgrading from analog to digital, with Canada, France, Mexico, New Zealand, the Philippines, Switzerland and Thailand also looking into adopting the technology. Major broadcast corporations and manufactures have adopted the technology, more than 1600 AM and FM stations are currently broadcasting with HD Radio technology. You claim it's got nothing going for it, but the truth is it's a standard which is evolving and will take time to establish itself through retail. The actual radio's are just starting to evolve past generation one, and are getting better and cheaper for consumers to buy (following the trend of all consumer electronics) HD Radio is not sat radio and there is no comparison yet as HD Radio is about 5 years behind but make no mistake in the coming years AM/FM will be AM-HD and FM-HD, no matter what a schizophrenic, looney-tune posts.

If you really cared or had a clue about HD Radio then you'd be constructive as HD Radio IS the technology standard in which analog radio is upgrading to digital radio, it might not be the best move forward but it is now the path forward and there is nothing a schizophrenic with internet posting abilities can do about it, nor is holding a chip about a technology standard healthy.

The BIG thing is HD Radio is a attractive alternative to satellite radio, which charges a fee for its use.

@ the obnoxious AC : "There is nothing a silly website or web posts from a schizophrenic person is going to solve. "

I think the site demonstrates clearly that HD is probably going to wind up like AM Stereo.

Dead. All your namecalling and insults won't change that.

Now, it's time for you to be banned from this site.

@JRS aka. Julian L. Shepard

"what prompts your strange and schizophrenic quest to put up false web sites and blanket the web with false, bias information where ever you search and find HD Radio mentioned."

I just quote articles from professionals such as, Mark Ramsey, Jerry Del Colliando (who has daily contact with Gen Y), John Gorman, Radio World, etc. Your angry rants just confirm my point that my blog is helping to derail this flawed, destuctive technology. Since digital radio has failed everywhere, and that HD radios are not selling, once these other countries find out that IBOC jams and suffers from dropouts, poor coverage, and interference HD Radio will be a bust. Obviously, iBiquity is spewing the same lies overseas that they have done in the US.

"Editorial: More Than Half Full"

"AM-HD continues to fight uphill. Several manufacturers showed impressive new transmitter models designed to optimize and maintain HD performance. Yet the growth of AM-HD stations coming on the air appears stalled and we hear murmurings about some broadcasters pulling back on AM-HD or wishing to renegotiate their commitments with Ibiquity."

http://www.rwonline.com/pages/s.0044/t.13363.html

"Bellwether BE Makes Some Changes?"

"It’s probably no secret that the rate of HD Radio adoption has slowed in the United States. There are new opportunities that exist in other countries; Mexico and Brazil come to mind; sales there are few but promising. The whole industry is in a bit of a null in the HD transition but I don’t think anyone’s long-term plans have changed.”

http://www.rwonline.com/pages/s.0044/t.9546.html

The Big HD Rollout is a bust on AM, and has slowed on FM.

If you really are Julian L. Shepard, assistant general counsel of the National Association of Broadcasters., this just goes to show what a bunch of shysters and scumbags inhabit the halls of the NAB.

Hey AC,

What was your last job shilling for the 8-track tape industry? You keep claiming “over 1600” stations have adopted the new “standard” but you neglect to mention almost all of these stations are PBS stations that received government tax money to pay for their digital equipment. In 1998, the number of commercial radio stations was 4,793 AM stations and 5,662 FM stations. In addition, there are 1,460 public radio stations in the United States. Very few private stations have taken the risk and the few that have are now backing away from a full commitment. (H)ighly (D)isruptive radio interference is giving everyone in the industry reason to pause. “WOW, I can have extra channels of commercials FREE and all I have to do is buy a new radio”! And the annoying digital channel bleed-over buzz is free too? Well our decision is made no one wants to pay for a new radio to listen to the same old shit with 20 minutes of commercials per hour regardless of how many channels of commercials you offer.

BTW The FCC may have chose a digital standard for radio but it is not mandated like the TV spectrum no law will force (H)ighly (D)oomed Radio into existence. It will depend on consumer support that doesn’t exist. Law mandated HDTV and it was behind its implementation date by years. Digital Radio is an industry option not a mandate so market forces will decide it’s dismal fate. After your company’s failure say hello to DIVX for me!

"HD Radio fails miserably"

"I've been in touch with Congressman Dingell's office, and have brought the iBiquity-lobbying IBOC situation to his attention as his office probes how the Commission conducts its business. I have further offered to testify before his Subcommittee if they have interest in pursuing how HD Radio was allowed to find the light of day."

Bob Savage, CEO, WYSL

http://tinyurl.com/5mu8cn

"HD Radio: Will More Awareness Translate To Sales?"

"Unfortunately, Ibiquity does not: Yes, they have gotten many radio stations to make the $100,000 or so investment required to add HD Radio broadcasting, but what the leave out of their PR spin is that MANY of these stations were Public Radio/NPR stations that had their equipment paid for by special funding from Congress. So tell me, senior executives from, say, Sony, Mitsubishi, Best Buy, etc.: How do you feel about Ibiquity''s lobbyists getting US taxpayers to pick up the tab for many of their transmitter sales? Wouldn''t it be great if your lobbyists could get Congress to mandate that US taxpayers be required to buy your products, too? Do you even slightly care? Ibiquity will take their money and run, and HD Radio will join a long list of failed formats, like Dolby FM radio, Elcassete, mini disk (in the US), etc."

http://tinyurl.com/37pe7t

"HD Radio: Fun with Math"

"I think it is fair to say that the audiophile community, those people who take their FM seriously, is dead set AGAINST HDRadio. Not only do most people never intend to buy a radio, unless as a plaything for early adopters and collectors, but are aghast at the FCC for even allowing IBOC to thrash up the FM bandwidth. Plus, people with enough technical savvy to read the specs are insulted by the false claims of 'CD sound quality' or even 'near-CD sound quality'. These are transparent marketing hype, beyond mean puffery. Sorry, but HDRadio has sworn enemies. This goes beyond just business but has political reprecussions for FCC and for Congress. This has the whiff of political scandal - and I'm a rock-ribbed Republican! The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is especially vulnerable. My advice for any businessman is to avoid any association with HDRadio."

http://www.hear2.com/2006/06/hd_radio_fun_wi.html

Chairman Dingell is aware of this situation - LOL!

Ah more schizophrenic, bias BS about a technology by pocketradio......

Now lets get the TRUTH about HD Radio, a fearless, non-bias look (wow look links, but this time with factual info)

Radio, welcome to the glittering age of high definition.
http://www.denverpost.com/entertainment/ci_4089813

HD Radio
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HD_Radio

What You Need to Know about HD Radio
by Robert Ferency-Viars and Ralph Graves
http://www.crutchfieldadvisor.com/S-MDC4dGKwZEH/learningcenter/car/hdradio.html
(Robert Ferency-Viars and Ralph Graves write about car and home A/V products for Crutchfield.)

Many Retailers Forecast ’08 HD-Radio Gain
By Amy Gilroy -- TWICE, 5/22/2008
http://www.twice.com/article/CA6563292.html

pocketradio - DEBUNKED

Max, Blind belief in one person's schizophrenic rantings about a technology shows you as a person with little ability to think for yourself.

Also you might want to worry about yourself instead of calling for banning of others with opinions other than your own, those desperate to censor others opinions also tells alot about you Max, not in a good way.

@JRS aka. Julian L. Shepard

Conveniently, you did not quote any of the comments in the Twice article:

"Interesting that Best Buy, Circuit City, Wal-Mart, Radio Shack, etc were not polled - that is becasue many HD radios are already on clearance because they are not selling. What - was this article written by iBiquity/HD Alliance."

http://www.twice.com/index.asp?layout=talkBackCommentsFull&articleid=CA6563292&talk_back_header_id=6532283

pocketradio / anonymous coward / (H)ighly (D)esperate Radio there is no reason to quote any comments like a schizophrenic, pointing out bias BS to desperately try to justify your mental illness. Let everyone read the links if they chose and learn from everything they read, not just another's sole opinion which has a chip against THE chosen standard for digital radio in the US. See remember NOTHING you post, no matter how many bias, BS web sites you make, no matter how desperate and schizophrenic you get with your posts which seem to show up where ever HD Radio is mentioned will change a thing. Come on, step one is to believe the truth, repeat after me "HD Radio is the chosen technology for digital radio in the US." you dont have to like it, but your desperate, schizophrenic bias towards a technology standard, which doesn't effect you shows definite mental illness.

@JRS aka. Julian L. Shepard

"no matter how many bias, BS web sites you make, no matter how desperate and schizophrenic you get with your posts which seem to show up where ever HD Radio is mentioned will change a thing.'

"Telecom & Media Gabriel Sosa Gabriel Sosa"

"Despite the enthusiasm of iBiquity, creator of the standard, the technology does not penetrate as I want and foresight studies (see performed by the firm Bridge Ratings, www.bridgeratings.com) observed a much more favourable scenario for Internet radio that for terrestrial digital radio. In the guidelines were included at the request of COFEM, the pros and cons of the standards of digital radio. The IBOC case highlights the issue of interference, especially in AM. The United States has an enormous inconvenience for that and other aspects related to technology. Several Internet sites dealing with the problem, as IBOC Stop Now (www.stopiboc.com) and HD Radio Is a Farce? (hdradiofarce.blogspot.com). It is useful to consult them, now that Mexico is a decisive step."

http://tinyurl.com/6yrztn

Sorry, but it is making a difference - you would love for the anti-IBOC crowd to give up, but that isn't going to happen. Attitudes as yours, just adds fuel to the fire. Actually, blogging has a big impact:

"Blogs making their impact felt"

"In December 2005, a white paper on the influence of bloggers on corporate reputation by Market Sentinel, Onalytica and Immediate Future highlighted the negative impact one individual, Jeff Jarvis, could have on a brand's reputation, in this case Dell, through angry blog postings about his bad customer experience."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4976276.stm

With 3,308 external links to my blog on the Internet, and the fact that "your posts which seem to show up where ever HD Radio is mentioned will change a thing", no doubt is helping to derail the Big HD Radio Rollout. The fact that you are so upset and obsessed with my blog says everything - you are giving yourself away too easily.

@JRS aka. Julian L. Shepard

HD Digital Radio • IT'S TIME TO UPGRADE! • HD Digital RadioHD Digital Radio. It's here. It's local. It's free. DISCOVER IT!
www.hdradio.com/ - 41k - Cached - Similar pages

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http://tinyurl.com/3usdlp

This is the result of performing a Google search for "HD Radio", as my site appears right after iBiquity's - I realize that this must be very frustrating, but I have worked very hard to get my site indexed at the top.

Even more schizophrenic, bias BS about a technology standard by pocketradio / anonymous coward / (H)ighly (D)esperate Radio. Each post sounding more and more desperate, more and more fearful of iBiq's technology standard HD Radio. Keep on believing that your schizophrenic sites / BS posts matters in the least it's sad in pocketradio's world. Your world relies on un-educated persons mistakenly thinking your bias/bs/fearful information. Lucky smart consumers, people with the ability to think see you and your sites and posts for the Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt they are.

More TRUTH to DEBUNK your nonsense:

"The company that invented HD Radio is called iBiquity, and has been funded by a Who's Who in the radio and media business, including ABC, Clear Channel, Cox, and Viacom -- along with the Ford Motor Company for that important in-car endorsement. iBiquity makes money by licensing its technology to digital radio manufacturers and to the makers of the digital broadcast equipment for radio stations."

"By the end of 2007 there were over 1,500 stations - AM and FM, commercial and noncommercial - multicasting more than 2,500 channels, with many NPR stations leading the way in the transition. In December 2006, the HD Radio Alliance, which includes eight of the nation's largest commercial radio groups, announced a $250 million ad campaign to promote HD radio among consumers."

What is HD Radio?
http://www.tech-faq.com/hd-radio.shtml

"Dave Robbins, director of digital programming for Infinity Broadcasting, said, "Although we can't predict the future, we are clearly moving down the path toward digital broadcasting.
"One of the great things about HD is that it operates in tandem with analog, so that if you have an HD radio, it also picks up analog stations. There won't be a cutoff point, (as if) that's the end of this, and we're starting something new ... It's a planned transition. We're not taking any analog stations off the air ... what we're doing is putting HD transmitters right next to the analog transmitters."

Clear Channel Radio Executive Vice President of Distribution Development Jeff Littlejohn points out that with 800 million analog radios in the United States, analog FM has inertia in the market.
"I think it would be quite some time before we could even consider turning off our analog signals. We'd need to sell a lot of digital radios first."How long before that happens? "Perhaps 40 years."

Station managers expect HD Radio to succeed in all markets someday, and agree that the final changeover will be more than a decade in the future.
Doug Myrland at KPBS(FM) in San Diego says, "Is it inevitable? Yes. How long before it replaces analog radio? At least a decade, if not significantly longer ... I think it is going to (have) a relatively slow start, and then toward the end of the cycle a relatively rapid final transition. The first 10, 20, 30, 40 percent of market penetration will be a long time coming, and then it will tip pretty quickly."
WOSU Station Manager Eby agress the IBOC standard will be accepted because of the way digital radio works: "The potential for broadcasters in adding more channels is tremendous." He adds that data broadcasting will be an important role for their system. But he thinks it will be more than 10 years before IBOC will dominate the FM landscape. Will the business model work? "Down the road, absolutely. In public radio, we have a lot more good programs than channels to run them."

Among transmitter suppliers, a pattern is clear: the licensed IBOC transmitter manufacturers - Harris, Broadcast Electronics, Continental and Nautel - report that IBOC transmitter sales outpace analog sales in dollar volume and in unit sales.

Tech File: HD Radio
http://www.physorg.com/news71337424.html

pocketradio / anonymous coward / (H)ighly (D)esperate Radio. - DEBUNKED yet again by factual information.

Wow, Pocketradio's site is very good. Lots of juicy stuff on it. Wonder why Kathy Wallman isn't making her obscene demands on Ibiquity???

“HD RADIO … More commercials coming up after this extended commercial break”. “And don’t forget to tune to H2 to learn how your favorite commercials are made” “Also don’t miss our new show on H3 “Who Gives A Sh*t”! where we will be talking about HD Radio and it’s Future. HD RADIO …. Commercials make it free and lots of commercials make us rich!

Proprietary & incompatible
HD Radio is a different digital broadcasting standard than those previously adopted by other countries. The lack of a common standard means that digital radios of one country may not work in another, and that manufacturers must develop separate products for different countries. As a result, costs are raised for both broadcasters and consumers. International standards that compete against HD Radio include the Eureka-147 Digital Audio Broadcasting ("DAB") system its newer variant "DAB+" and Digital Radio Mondiale, ("DRM", not related to Digital Rights Management). DAB (ratified by the ITU-R standardization body in 1994) has been selected for use by many countries on VHF and higher frequencies, where sufficient bandwidth may be allocated for high-quality sound on many program streams. DRM (ITU ratified April 2001) is, at least initially, intended for use at frequencies below 30 MHz, in traditional medium wave ("AM") and short wave bands. ETSI publishes the standards for DAB and DRM.
The HD Radio audio Codec, called "HDC", is incompatible with the DAB and DRM audio codecs, AAC and HE-AAC. Whereas the AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) family of codecs are publicly documented standards, and implemented on hundreds of diverse non-radio related devices and in computer software, the HDC codec exists only within the HD Radio system, and is an iBiquity trade secret.
Whereas DRM and DAB are controlled by non-profit consortiums with members from more than 30 countries, iBiquity ultimately has control over HD Radio receiver-manufacturer licensing[30] and broadcaster licensing. Unlike DRM and DAB, which are open specifications, iBiquity's HD Radio specification is partly open and partly secret.[31]

Reduced quality concerns
Promotion for HD Radio does not always make clear that some of its capabilities are mutually incompatible with other of its capabilities. For example, the FM system has been described as "CD quality." The FM system also allows multiplexing the data stream between two or more separate programs. However, a program utilizing one half or less of the data stream does not attain the higher audio quality of a single program allowed the full data stream. Indeed, the FCC "decline[d] to require broadcasters to dedicate a minimum level of digital bandwidth to provide a high quality digital signal," however "one free over-the-air digital stream [must be] of equal or greater quality than the station’s existing analog signal."[39] (If the FCC ever allows stations to discontinue analog simulcasting, each station will have over 300 kbit/s bandwidth available, allowing for CD or even Surround Sound-quality audio together with multiple sub-channels.)
Another such conflict arises from the extra "free" programs available today. iBiquity is seeking FCC approval for "conditional access," that is, enabling the extra programs to be available only by paid subscription (on future models of HD Radio). NDS, a maker of digital media encryption technology, has a deal with iBiquity to provide HD Radio with an encrypted content-delivery system called RadioGuard.[40] NDS claims that RadioGuard will "provide additional revenue-generating possibilities." iBiquity has stated that RadioGuard will become a standard feature of the HD Radio system.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HD_Radio#Criticisms