OSLO�Even as the scheduled �sunsetting� of the national FM service rapidly approaches, the Norwegian culture minister is facing continued pushback from members of Parliament.�
The Progress Party�s Ib Thomsen recently wrote a letter to the culture minister, asking who would be responsible for unintended consequences after the national FM service disappears. The Progress Party is critical of the plan to extinguish the national FM network; the party was the only one that voted against it 2011. Now the party is seriously concerned about radio if DAB plans are completed next year.
Among Thomsen�s objections were the following:
- � � � � �Just over 20 percent of the vehicle population in Norway has DAB radio. Thomsen says this is a critical point. There is also a risk that tourists and especially professional drivers from abroad will not be able to listen to radio in Norway or receive emergency messages.
- � � � � �Thomsen says that digitization should be coordinated with the other Nordic countries. Sweden, for example, has no plans to turn off FM.�
- �� � � ��DAB is dependent on the GPS system and that weakens preparedness of DAB significantly.� In war and crises, it is a fact that GPS signals can be turned off for military purposes. This has happened several times already � GPS signals have �fallen out� over northern Europe.
Thomsen�s position is that the shutdown of the FM service in Norway will not be consistent with good public safety and would not be in consumers’ best interest.
The Center party�s Janne Sjelmo Nord�s has also sent written questions to the Minister of Culture on the FM shutdown, in which she said that the entire process should be postponed. In addition, now many local chapters in various parties expressed strong concern regarding the pending shutdown.�
Comment fields for articles on the topic show the vast majority of people want to keep FM� even those that believe DAB is a better technology, according tolokalradio.no. ��
