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Broadcasters Ask For Digital Power Upgrade
WASHINGTON -- June 15, 2008: Eighteen broadcasters and the four largest manufacturers of radio transmission equipment have filed a joint request with the FCC, asking the commission to revise the 5-year-old technical specifications for FM digital broadcasting to allow HD Radio digital broadcasting at 10 percent of analog power, up from 1 percent.
"As HD Radio technology moves further toward the mainstream, it's crucial that we continue to add new features and enhance the technology's basic capabilities," said Bob Struble, President/CEO of HD Radio developer iBiquity Digital. "Working with the broadcast industry and equipment makers, iBiquity Digital has completed extensive testing on higher-power FM HD Radio broadcasts, and the results are clear. Increasing from 1 percent to 10 percent of analog broadcast power greatly improves digital performance without meaningfully increasing interference."
The filing, signed by commercial and noncommercial broadcasters including Clear Channel, CBS Radio, Emmis, Greater Media, Radio One, Entercom, Lincoln Financial Media, American Public Media, and Beasley Broadcast Group, as well as manufacturers including Broadcast Electronics and Harris Corp., is supported by studies submitted by HD Radio developer iBiquity Digital and CBS Radio that, the filing says, demonstrate that the power increase will "facilitate the transition to digital audio broadcasting by allowing FM stations to improve digital performance with minimal risk of harmful interference to existing analog service."
The filing points out that the original standards for digital broadcasting, set in 2002, were intentionally set at a "very conservative level," which was justified by the limited amount of testing that had been done at the time. But, it continues, "Experience has since shown that the low digital power level at which FM stations are permitted to operate precludes many of these stations from being able to transmit a digital signal that fully replicates their analog service areas." The low power level also limits digital signals' ability to penetrate buildings.
A test program conducted by CBS Radio, Clear Channel Radio, Greater Media, and iBiquity -- with the FCC's approval -- found that an increase in digital FM power of up to 10 dB would significantly improve FM digital performance with "virtually no risk of adversely affecting analog compatibility."
The test program looked at Class B FM stations in Detroit, Los Angeles, and New York, and Class A stations in New Jersey and found, the FCC filing says, that the higher power level significantly increased the digital coverage area of the test stations.
For building penetration, the test program measured CBS Radio Alternative KROQ/Los Angeles at authorized and at elevated power levels at 10 separate locations, including a single-family home and a downtown office building. With the power increase, the study found building penetration equal to or better than analog performance.
Analog compatibility testing, meanwhile, with test stations broadcasting at current and increased power stations in areas over a variety of terrain conditions, found, says the filing, that "in the vast majority of test scenarios, the increase in digital power levels did not have a significant effect on analog compatibility."
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