This is not the first request for comments on the proposed digital carrier increase. Last fall, the FCC made a more general request for comments, and noted it had received input both supporting and opposing the request tendered by industry proponents of the increase, referred to as the "joint parties."

Reply comments are due no later than 35 days after publication in the federal register.

Eye on IBOC

Will Consumers Swoon Over Zune?
It's official. Microsoft's newest iteration of its Zune personal media player will contain, among lots of other things, an HD Radio receiver. The announcement, along with lots of demo videos, is making the rounds of the usual techie online sites like CNET and Gizmodo and is bringing some color back to the cheeks of HD Radio proponents who haven't had much to cheer about in recent months.

Driven by Windows CEOs and offering a pretty OLED touch screen with rotating color display, the new Zune will offer Wi-fi connectivity via a modified version of Internet Explorer, and even run HD video with a dock accessory.

The fact that Microsoft has chosen to include an HD Radio receiver is provoking lots of forum discussions about how the software giant is choosing to position itself against rival Apple's Ipod Touch, which accepts streaming radio apps but doesn't include any sort of radio tuner.

Among the questions being asked by broadcast engineers is just how HD Radio operation will impact the Zune's battery life, and how well a user's ear-bud cable will function as a digital FM antenna.

One thing is certain. With a release set for fall, the all-new Zune is generating some buzz, and that's not a bad thing for either the HD Radio movement or Microsoft. But how the Zune, a platform still struggling to win acceptance, ultimately fares, and whether consumers will be favorably impressed by its HD Radio functionality, remain to be seen.