REC supports petition to stop all IBOC operations and to go back to the drawing board.
REC has filed comments in favor of a Motion to Dismiss filed by John Pavlica to stop all IBOC operations citing interference to first adjacent channel stations.
In our comments, we have stated that the existing IBOC systems that place digital signals in portions of the band that is assigned to another radio station is not in the public interest of radio listeners as it will cause harmful interference to the listening of radio stations, especially in rural areas.
We support the deployment of Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) as an AM IBOC solution for both AM daytime and nighttime operation. DRM is an internationally accepted non-proprietary format.
REC questions the necessity of DAB on FM and feels that improvements should be made to receiver technology and that DAB be postponed until either an out of band system can be developed or an in-band system that can operate solely with in the 200 kHz bandwidth alloted to an FM station using an non-proprietary system can be developed. REC is not aware of any such system available today.
REC has gone on record as opposing the Eureka 147 system in it's current state. The size of the ensembles actually support more concentrated media holdings such as Clear Channel, whom operates enough services in a market to fill a 1.5 MHz ensemble. LPFM and minority stations will have to beg to be on an ensemble. REC would support a Eureka-147 like system that utilizes smaller ensembles.
REC's filing is available on our website at http://www.recnet.com/fcc/99-325-0103.pdf.
