[IRCA] U.K. Ponders Future of Terrestrial Radio

["Tim Kridel" <tkridel@xxxxxxxxx>]

A Shutdown for AM/FM Radio? 

The spectrum is extremely valuable, advertising revenue is falling away,
young people are turning to other media such as iPods and digital social
networking, and automatically renewed licenses could enmesh the market in a
withering status quo for the next 24 years. With these points in mind, U.K.
communications regulator Ofcom says it isn't sure that AM/FM radio services
should continue on the British isles ... and, with many AM and FM licenses
now up for renewal, the time might be right to make some long term
decisions. 


According to a recently published statement on "The Future of Radio," Ofcom
believes in particular that the VHF Band II spectrum currently occupied by
FM radio stations could be put to better use for emerging services such as
mobile TV and more digital radio and data services.B Further, the commission
notes, "Any alternative uses for those frequencies would require large
chunks of that spectrum to be freed-up simultaneously - something a rolling
re-licensing process does not allow for."B 


So while the regulator is not suggesting a regulated shutdown of current
analog radio services, it does recommend that such services be phased out as
licenses come up for renewal. While the AM spectrum is considered less
valuable, Ofcom suggests that it can be used more effectively for emerging
services such as digital radio. 


For the full text of the Ofcom considerations, go to:
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/radio_future/. 

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