The International Association of Audio Information Services sees the Oregon reading service situation as disturbing and hopes it’s not a trend.
Organizers say the OPB decision ignores the needs of older, visually-impaired, less technology-literate people.
The IAAIS, which represents radio reading services, is looking for a new broadcast host for reading services in Oregon.
“It’s worrisome because it sets a precedent,” said IAAIS President Heather Lusignan. “We’ve been fighting for recognition in the digital realm.” Both the SAP channels for TV and FM subcarriers are lost in the digital realm, though the digital television technology standard does have audio channels.
For radio, the IAAIS has worked with Ibiquity for years on inclusion in the IBOC receiver chip. At the 2008 NAB Show, NDS told me its conditional access capability, which will include the RRS capability, would be in the new IBOC chips expected to be available to receiver manufacturers later this year.
Conceivably, the capability would be in new HD Radios by year-end. Let’s hope the IAAIS finds another broadcaster in Oregon to carry the service to make the multi-year chip effort pay off.
