FM radio app blocked?

[dkettle]

I just read about an FM radio app ("NextRadio") that allows you to listen to radio over a smart phone, provided that the manufacturer and the service provider both allow access. (See https://www.thestar.com/business/tech_news/2017/09/29/apple-urged-to-activate-fm-radio-chips-in-ipho...). So I installed it, but when I tried to use it, it just displayed a message saying that the service provider doesn't allow access to the feature. What is Fido's policy on this?

Here's a web site hosting a petition to the CRTC demanding that manufacturers and service providers unblock this feature. We're being overcharged for cell service in Canada, and we paid for these phones, most of which have this capability built in to them already. Please everybody sign it. http://freeradioonmyphone.ca/

**Edited to add tags and labels**

[dkettle]

P.S. The service providers make money by charging exorbitant fees for data. If you listen to a streaming service, you're using data. If you listen to the built-in FM radio receiver, you're not using data, and they don't make any money. That's why service providers don't want to enable this feature.

[Cawtau]

Hello Dkettle,

  Perhaps this post might answer your query.

Hope this helps

Cheers

[dkettle]

Right, blame it on the manufacturers. They'd have no reason to collude with the service providers, would they? (BTW, I'm being sarcastic.)

[Anonymous]

The FM Radio is not really "blocked"  I downloaded this app off the google app store once and it checks if the FM hardware exists in my phone and if it does, it would let u listen to it, but it also came back with an error that my phone did not have the required fm chipset, in that case there is nothing you can do. just lobby to phone makers like LG, Motorola, Nokia, HTC, etc to include FM Radio capabilities in their hardware, the more we complain the louder our voices are, the better chances tthey may include it in the future

[dkettle]

It's my understanding that almost all smart phones nowadays have this chipset. It just isn't being enabled in all cases. Lobby the manufacturers? They're going to do what the service providers tell them to do, because almost all new phones are bought from the service providers, who don't want this capability enabled.

[Cawtau]

Hello again,

  I understand it might be difficult for some conspiracy theorists to comprehend, but the mobile providers do not request to have the functionality disabled.

  If they really don't want the capability with their devices, why did they allow some of their devices to have the functionality (see here)? Before anyone claims that Fido got rid of those devices once they found out, Fido still carries the GR5.

  Have you seen the list of  Next Radio supported devices? Sure, there aren't many Samsungs or iPhones on that list, but there are LGs. More to the point, it was LG who decided to enable the FM radio in their devices (see here). Oh, but the Fido probably removed it...

Taken from another familiar forum.

  Hmm, maybe there isn't some big conspiracy after all...

Cheers

[dkettle]

@Cawtau And how many of these devices with FM radio support does Fido sell? Or are you going to tell me that it's the manufacturers who decide which phones the service providers should sell?

[dkettle]

@Cawtau I'm not a conspiracy theorist. You must work for Fido. Do they pay you to lie for them?

[Cawtau]

---

@dkettle wrote:

@Cawtau I'm not a conspiracy theorist. You must work for Fido. Do they pay you to lie for them?

---

Hello again,

  No, I do not work for Fido. I don't get paid to provide information on here. I don't even have any affiliation with the telecommunications industry. I'm just willing to do a little research.

  The fact that you do assume I must work for Fido proves my point!!

  I'm leaving this conversation because you obviously won't believe any facts even when they've been provided.

Have a good day

Cheers

[dkettle]

http://www.thebarrieexaminer.com/2015/03/25/local-radio-operator-welcomes-fm-on-smartphones

[dkettle]

http://byrnesmedia.com/2014/11/06/how-authorities-could-really-help-canadians/

[dkettle]

http://forums.fido.ca/t5/forums/v4/forumtopicpage/board-id/archives/thread-id/17910/page/1

[dkettle]

Here's the CRTC's web page for filing complaints: http://crtc.gc.ca/eng/contact/

Sample text (just copy and paste):

"When is the CRTC going to force manufacturers and service providers to turn on the FM radio capability in the phones they sell? The service providers blame it on the manufacturers and  the manufacturers blame it on the service providers. Meanwhile, they're acting in collusion and laughing all the way to the bank. This is a public safety issue. In an emergency (even just a severe electrical storm or power outage), internet and cell phone service may not be available, but radio service is more reliable and more likely to still be available."

[dkettle]

The phone descriptions on Fido's web site don't tell you if a particular phone has FM radio capability and if it's enabled. Why not? Because they don't want you to buy a phone with FM radio enabled.

[fischersd]

You're making an awful lot of assumptions here.   Just because a phone has a chipset in it that would support an FM radio doesn't mean the manufacturer designed an FM radio into their smartphone.  Modem chipsets from Intel and Qualcomm may or may not include FM radio capabilities, but the handset manufacturers need to build in a physical pathway for an FM antennae as well as tuner capabilities (software and hardware).

Considering that Apple's pushing for all-wireless usage of their devices, that negates using your headphone cord as an FM antennae.  They would need to build another one into the phone.

If the CRTC and FCC mandate this functionality, you'll see it added by every handset manufacturer, but many (most?) consumers wouldn't use it (and likely wouldn't agree with the cost of their handset going up to support it).

Feature development isn't free.  It's very expensive.  There needs to be a return on investment for doing so (or a regulatory barrier to market that necessitates it).

[dkettle]

@fischersd You should do more research. Most smartphones already have the FM chipset in them, except recent iPhones (surprise!). The "added cost" to activate the capability is $0. A pair of headphones acts as an antenna. And there are free apps which function as "tuners". See my original post for links.

[fischersd]

Just because the modem chipset manufacturer included that in their chipset doesn't mean the manufacturer implemented it in the handset!  It's certainly not mandatory.

You need to verify on a case by case basis with the manufacturer that each SKU has an actual FM radio function built into it or not.  

[dkettle]

@fischersd Yes, the manufacturer and the service provider both have to turn on the feature. That's the whole point. They won't do that until consumers force them to. I looked at the Rogers, Telus, Bell and Fido websites, the descriptions don't even mention if the capability is turned on because they don't want consumers to use it or even know that it exists. I expect the same applies to the manufacturers' web sites. That's why it needs to be legislated.

[fischersd]

It's not "turning on" the feature.  You have to design the feature into your handset hardware and you have to make changes to your software (OS/Firmware) to support it.

Like I said, you're over-simplifying this.  If you have specific instances where the manufacturer has included the FM radio (and they state that, for the specific SKU that has shipped to the carrier), then that functionality would be available (provided the carrier didn't block it).

Now, why would you think that the carriers would want to block it?  (as, if their customers are using that, then they're not eating up data on their networks....something I'm sure most carriers would actually prefer).

[dkettle]

"Now, why would you think that the carriers would want to block it?  (as, if their customers are using that, then they're not eating up data on their networks....something I'm sure most carriers would actually prefer)."

I think you just answered your own question. The service providers make the bulk of their money selling over-priced data plans. They don't want consumers using features that are free.