Digital Broadcasting: Radio

Culture Media and Sport written question – answered at on 19 July 2010.

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Photo of Anna Soubry Anna Soubry Conservative, Broxtowe

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's policy on digital radio switchover of the sound quality provided by the current DAB digital radio standard compared to that provided by the FM signal.

Photo of Ed Vaizey Ed Vaizey The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Business, Innovation and Skills) (Culture, Communications and Creative Industries) (jointly with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government have no current plans to make an assessment of the sound quality of digital radio, provided by Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB), compared to analogue radio provided on the FM band. However, we note that independent research conducted in 2009 suggested that around 75% of digital radio listeners consider the sound quality on DAB to be as good as, if not better than, FM.

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