Lords call for FM radio scrappage scheme to avoid public backlash over DAB switchover
An influential committee of peers is urging the Government to implement an FM radio scrappage scheme and a fund to help poorer people switch to digital radio.
Failure to do so could lead to a public backlash over plans for the national switchover to DAB in 2015, according to the Lords communication committee.
The committee says there's "public confusion and industry uncertainty" over the switchover. Consumers are still buying analogue radios owing to the lack of public information about the Government's plans for digital radio, it says.
And car manufacturers are still fitting vehicles with FM radios despite the fact that in a few years' time they will only be able to receive local and community radio.
"We recommend an early and extensive information campaign to publicise the Government's digital radio policy, its rationale and its implication for listeners," says the report on the digital switchover of radio and TV, published today.
The plans for the analogue switchoff are working their way through parliament as part of the Digital Economy Bill, which is likely to become law just before the general election.
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Comments
My FM sounds fab, my DAB radio doesn't sound so ...is something wrong here ?
Plus it's rubbish and way too late.
No way I will be buying a DRAB radio when I can stream directly through my phone, Mac and TV.
I think in-car radios is one of the big issues: although some manufacturers are now offering DAB car radios as an optional extra, many are not.
Yes, plug-in DAB receivers such as the Pure Highway are available for less than £100, but they won't integrate into your dashboard.
Maybe so, but I would still say there are far more FM radio's than DAB Radio's, otherwise they wouldnt be concerned about the slow pick up.
They expect people to drop FM for DAB and its low bit rates. They would be better off promoting better quality DAB+ and running it along side FM for the next 10 - 20 years or so. People with DAB radio's would be complaining, but not as many people if they switch off FM.
Just think of the Millions of car's with no radio's alone.
I'm afraid your guess of 'a few hundred thousand' DAB radios is way wide of the mark....
There's an estimated base of 10.5m DAB radios here in the UK, with 2m sold in 2009 alone!
They should be scrapping the poor Quality DAB and switch to DAB+, which offers better sound quality, just like the rest of europe.
The problem is, this would involve another political U-Turn as DAB+ isnt compatible with normal DAB radio's.
Surely its better to scap the few hundred thousand DAB radio's in favor of DAB+, rather than the Millions of FM radio's