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posted by janrinok on Saturday January 07 2017, @03:35AM   Printer-friendly
from the more-haste-less-satisfaction dept.

Norway is set to become the first nation to start switching off its FM radio network next week, in a risky and unpopular leap to digital technology that will be closely watched by other countries considering whether to follow suit.

Critics say the government is rushing the move and many people may miss warnings on emergencies that have until now been broadcast via the radio. Of particular concern are the two million cars on Norway's roads that are not equipped with digital audio broadcasting (DAB) receivers, they say.

Sixty-six per cent of Norwegians oppose switching off FM, with just 17 per cent in favour and the rest undecided, according to an opinion poll published by the daily Dagbladet last month.

Nevertheless, parliament gave the final go-ahead for the move last month, swayed by the fact that digital networks can carry more radio channels.

Should there be a push to switch off FM radio in order to 'persuade' users to upgrade their receiving equipment? Or should the change be implemented much more slowly to enable FM radios to be replaced as they age? How would you do it?


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  • (Score: 2) by mcgrew on Saturday January 07 2017, @07:46PM

    by mcgrew (701) <publish@mcgrewbooks.com> on Saturday January 07 2017, @07:46PM (#450814) Homepage Journal

    We already have digital FM. Many analog stations use a tiny bit of their bandwidth to carry the digital signals. KSHE in St Loius has two digital channels as well as its analog channel, all on the same frequency.

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