On Feb 19, 7:56*am, dave wrote:
If any of you doubt that the FCC wants to kill free radio, read on:

"Analyst: XM+Sirius+HD is likely.
Stifel Nicolaus analyst Blair Levin thinks it's likely the FCC will
require such a mandate as part of its approval of the deal, as well as a
requirement that any new receivers include terrestrial HD capabilities.
Meanwhile, U.S. Electronics is pushing the FCC to hold a summit among a
number of parties citing a "newly emerged consensus" that a combined
XM-Sirius be required to make their receiver technology "open" allowing
more choices for consumers. Among those backing the requirement are
iBiquity and the HD Digital Radio Alliance."

--insideradio

"HD Radio is trying to kill the wrong technology"

From today's news:

WASHINGTON -- January 29, 2008: HD Radio developer iBiquity Digital
asked in an earlier ex parte filing with the FCC that a merged XM
Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio be required to include HD
Radio technology in all satellite radio receivers, and now the HD
Digital Radio Alliance has made a filing with the FCC in support of
that request.
(Isn't this old news?)

The FCC will never, ever do this, of course. You could file all day
and in a rainbow of colors and it won't make a difference.

When push comes to shove, this merger will be going through. And it
will go through without a "tip of the hat" towards HD radio. But as
symbolism goes, it's symbolically symbolic.

Satellite radio is making it tough for HD to find a spot on the
dashboard, the argument of the HD radio folks goes, which is probably
true.

But what's more true is that the presence of terrestrial radio is
really what makes a spot for HD impossible on that same dash.

Get this straight: HD is viewed as redundant to radio. It is the
current AM/FM bands that are hogging the spot in which a newfangled HD
radio would otherwise sit.

The HD folks are trying to kill the wrong technology.

http://www.hear2.com/2008/01/hd-radio-is-try.html