FT MYERS, Fla. � WBBH(TV) of Fort Myers, Fla., published yet another in a wave of articles on how FM receivers should be turned on in all mobile phones.
The headline (�How your phone can turn into an FM radio during an emergency�) is misleading because it doesn�t describe how you can really do that � but the article is interesting nevertheless.
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) said he�s pushing the government to require smartphone manufacturers to activate the FM radio capability inside their products. Nelson wants the FCC to get involved, of course.
The article goes on to say �…why in this day in age would we need a radio? For many, including Kevin White of Fort Myers, radios are a ‘thing of the past.’� After Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, many �may want to take a step back in time and reconsider the significance of a radio.�
�I know a lot of people were running around trying to find battery-powered radios and everything at the last minute,� said Leslie Bowen, a resident of Fort Myers.
I guess that�s what happens when power is knocked out, along with cellular and internet services. Cellphones turn into little battery operated paperweights.
Many people in southwest Florida were surprised to hear their phone had the feature. �That shocks me. If it’s in there already, why aren’t [cell phone manufacturers] doing it?� asked Barbara Bartnikowski of north Fort Myers, quoted in the same article.
Sen. Nelson wants to see that question answered.
Watch the video version of the story online here.�
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