Washington - Nov 1, 2011 - Representatives of iBiquity Digital Corporation and National Public Radio met with Bureau staff on Oct. 4, to discuss the possibility of permitting FM stations to operate with unequal digital sideband power levels on. iBiquity filed a technical report that discusses the field performance of asymmetric digital sideband operation by FM stations. On Oct. 24, 2011, NPR filed a report that describes the results of field testing of asymmetric FM digital sidebands used in conjunction with testing of a newly-developed technology for reducing the peak-to-average power ratio in digital transmitters. Based on the reports, iBiquity and NPR requested that the Commission authorize voluntary asymmetric digital sideband power for FM stations.

The commission is now officially soliciting comments regarding on the iBiquity/NPR request and the iBiquity and NPR reports. Interested parties may submit comments on or before 21 days after the date of publication of a summary of this Public Notice in the Federal Register, and reply comments on or before 35 days after date of publication of this Public Notice in the Federal Register. Comments and reply comments should specifically reference this Public Notice and MM Docket No. 99-325, and must be submitted in MM Docket No. 99-325. For further details, see the complete text here.