I read this the other day and didn't know what pissed me off more the fact that they are accually lobbying for this or the thought that Congress just might be corrupt enough to pass it into law.

RIAA and National Association of Broadcasters lobby Congress to mandate that FM radio receivers be built into cell phones, PDAs, and other portable electronics.
 
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...future.ars

Whats the thought process for this? Was some record executive was sitting in his office one day and thinking 'how can I force more people to listen to my crappy records and buy my overpriced CDs without having to do any accual work myself'? I mean I'm all for capitalism but common isn't the system supposed to be designed to reward innovation? All this stinks of is an unimaginative attempt to sure up profits for two outdated industires who seem incapible of updating their bussiness models to those that will work in the present, and trying to use our goverment to do it no less! If this passes I'm quitting the Navy and moving to Poland my faith in this country and its leaders will have for the first time in my life gone into the negative.

Wow that does not seem like something the gov. should be involved in. Seems like that should be an 'optional feature'...up to the consumer to have it on their personal phone or not.

I see where it could be useful. You know everyone today has a cell phone and somtimes during storms you loose signal or the battery dies. Like oh god those two guys who went up amounitan hiking about 3years back somewhere in the states. The weather changed suddenly they got stuck up there and died. I see where they could have used am radio. But I agree with you that FM is kinda bull. But then again there are so many features to cell phones we really dont need another.