Today’s smartphones already have an FM receiver built in! This means that everyone could have free and easy access to radio for the entertainment they love and information they need, but those FM receivers are not activated by all wireless carriers and phone makers. Listening to radio on your phone using the FM chip instead of over the internet saves you valuable data and battery life. Though some wireless carriers and phone manufacturers have agreed to activate the FM chip, we need your help to send a message to those that remain that free FM radio matters to you!
National Campus and Community Radio Association, a collective of 95 non-profit stations across the country, have teamed up to launch freeradioonmyphone.ca.
“Our goal is to put pressure on the four national and four regional telecom carriers to get them to unlock the FM chip for public use,” said Barry Rooke, executive director of the NCCRA. “There was a successful campaign in the United States in 2015, with four of the five major telecom’s bowing down to public pressure. Our goal is to have all eight Canadian wireless providers allow access to the FM chip by the end of 2016.”
“FM technology is still the most popular format of our stations and the sector as a whole,” Rooke said. “This opportunity offers a great way to expand our listenership, and the options available to the public to access content. We are looking to expand our industry partners to work on enabling these chips. Specifically we are contacting individuals, groups and organizations who will join the growing list of supporters located on the www.FreeRadioOnMyPhone.ca website and help us get the word out through social media, public service announcements, and other forms of promotion that will encourage the public to get involved.