Emmis Communications home state of Indiana has become involved in the industry effort to encourage wireless carriers to embed and activate FM chips in cellphones.
The Indiana State Senate passed a resolution “urging wireless carriers to activate the FM radio receivers in smartphones,” according to the company, which developed the NextRadio FM app.
The resolution outlines the consumer benefits of an activated FM radio in smartphones including radio’s accessibility during an emergency, light battery usage, and nonreliance on Internet data to function, according to Emmis, which adds that similar legislative actions are set to happen in other states as well.
While the industry has a three-year deal with Sprint to embed and activate FM chips in smartphones and preload the NextRadio app on devices, the NextRadio proponents are talking with other wireless carriers about following suit.
