Comment by xp84

Okay, true in theory, but I still question how much difference it makes. In a situation so bad that it knocks out all the cell towers, landlines, cable TV, and broadband, people aren't flocking to their cars to check every AM frequency for instructions. They're panicking and looting the nearest grocery store either way.

And if it's not a cell-tower-destroying emergency, those terrible, low-power, scratchy AM stations are 1000x less efficient to get road condition news out there than Google Maps. I've tried to tune to one maybe twice in my life and learned nothing of use. Honestly, it would be a better use of government money if we shut them down. If there are areas that one of those stations effectively reaches that isn't reached by cell signals, use the money from not operating them in the other 90% of America to pay some wireless company to put in a few towers there and allow anyone to roam (at 3G speeds). That would actually save 100x the lives the AM stations ever will, since an AM station can't help you call 911 when you crash your car on a lonely mountain road.

JB_Dev 10 months ago

In an actual emergency, cell towers may not function. AM has significantly further range too and is pretty easy to standup as a backup for an area.

It’s also incredibly common for road conditions to still be shared over AM - you see this a lot while driving with all the “advisory - tune to …. AM” signs everywhere.

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xp84 10 months ago

Okay, true in theory, but I still question how much difference it makes. In a situation so bad that it knocks out all the cell towers, landlines, cable TV, and broadband, people aren't flocking to their cars to check every AM frequency for instructions. They're panicking and looting the nearest grocery store either way.
And if it's not a cell-tower-destroying emergency, those terrible, low-power, scratchy AM stations are 1000x less efficient to get road condition news out there than Google Maps. I've tried to tune to one maybe twice in my life and learned nothing of use. Honestly, it would be a better use of government money if we shut them down. If there are areas that one of those stations effectively reaches that isn't reached by cell signals, use the money from not operating them in the other 90% of America to pay some wireless company to put in a few towers there and allow anyone to roam (at 3G speeds). That would actually save 100x the lives the AM stations ever will, since an AM station can't help you call 911 when you crash your car on a lonely mountain road.

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