[IRCA] Nighttime IBOC

["Tim Kridel" <timkridel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Could AM Nighttime IBOC be Delayed by Border Concerns?

http://www.rwonline.com/dailynews/one.php?id=5742

Some Canadian broadcasters are worried about potential interference to their
analog AM and FM broadcasts along border areas and beyond as more U.S.
stations go digital. Radio World reported on this a year ago, saying the
Canadian Association of Broadcasters was most concerned with potential
interference to FM stations in Toronto, Windsor and Vancouver, markets
heavily penetrated by U.S. FM signals. 

But after reading the Further Notice in the IBOC proceeding, the CAB and the
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation felt it necessary to re-state their
concerns in an Aug. 4 letter to the division of the Canadian government that
manages and allocates spectrum, Industry Canada. 

"We feel that it is necessary for us to stress again the necessity for
Industry Canada to notify the FCC that the authorization of AM IBOC
transmissions, especially at night, will very likely result in harmful
interference to Canadian signals," say the CAB and CBC in the letter. The
CAB and CBC also believe IBOC transmissions have not been factored into
current frequency coordination agreements between the two countries;
agreements that also govern interference remediation. 

Although Canada is using the Eureka-147 technology for digital radio on FM
in six markets, it still relies heavily on analog in much of the country.
The CBC says its AM transmitters are especially important in the Western and
Atlantic provinces, "where single transmitters cover extensive areas that
may be province-wide." 

Although the FCC states in the Further Notice that such international issues
are important, the two Canadian groups don't believe the U.S. is thinking
about them early enough in the authorization process. 

When RW Online asked Ibiquity for a reaction, COO Jeff Jury said, "We are
aware of the comments made regarding the potential for IBOC to cause
interference to Canadian broadcasts. Our understanding is that the FCC is
working with the Canadian government to answer their questions and resolve
their concerns. We are confidant that any concerns in Canada can be
addressed and that these issues will not delay the rollout of HD Radio in
the U.S." 

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