The effort to empower American citizens to receive FM radio with their cell phones just took a huge step forward – no less a giant than AT&T is calling on manufacturers to activate the FM chips. Reaction in Washington was immediate and positive. TagStation’s Maura Kautsky elaborated for RBR+TVBR.
Kautsky told us that there is even more in the pipeline and we’ll be getting news throughout the next two years.
Kautsky said, “We know that the addition of AT&T will bring 10s millions of phones on board. AT&T has 120 M wireless customers and activating the FM chip will be included in the specs for the portion that are Android phones. We should see the FM chip turned on possibly later this year or for sure in 2016.”
She added, “Getting this agreement with AT&T is huge leap forward for the radio industry. It is not every day that something you have worked diligently on gets mentioned by Chairman Greg Walden, at the House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology FCC Oversight Meeting, where he publicly praises the decision AT&T made to activate radio chips. This is a big win and we are celebrating this accomplishment!”
As for the immediate future, in a letter to supporters, TagStation said, “The next step is for AT&T to communicate their request to manufacturers to activate the existing FM chip in Android smartphones. We will be working over the next few months with their smartphone partners to begin the work of activating FM Radio and NextRadio on as many devices as possible. The activation timing is expected for all new Android smartphones releasing in 2016, with a chance of some phones being ready by year-end.”
The NextRadio/TagStation teams concluded, “This is a big day for changing the face of radio. We are so pleased to share that AT&T is the latest carrier to support this industry initiative and by continuing as a unified industry will get us more in the future. Here we grow!”
They noted the important role that has been played by the FreeRadioOnMyPhone.org radio spot campaign, and said that the effort must continue to keep the momentum going. A third wave of spots are now available.
The announcement went national from Capitol Hill. Communications Subcommittee Chair and former radio group owner Greg Walden (R-OR) called attention to it during his opening remarks. He said, “We hope other carriers will follow suit.”
NAB President/CEO commented at some length. He said, “Today marks a new beginning in mobile technology with the agreement by a global iconic brand, AT&T, to light up the FM receiver chips in all of its future Android smartphones. With this decision, AT&T’s customers become the biggest beneficiaries, giving them access to local radio news, entertainment, weather, and failsafe emergency alert connectivity. With access to apps like NextRadio, AT&T’s listeners will also enjoy song tagging and interactivity features that have become increasingly popular with younger listeners. America’s broadcasters salute AT&T’s decision to serve its customers through collaboration with America’s local radio stations. Bravo!”
