Following the FCC’s decision to streamline digital FM broadcasting rules, HD Radio owner Xperi is opposing a petition from Press Communications LLC that seeks additional regulatory requirements for FM stations using asymmetric sideband operation.
In September, the FCC issued its First Report and Order, allowing digital FM stations to adopt asymmetric sideband operation without needing experimental authorization. This change enables broadcasters to manage interference protection more effectively—reducing power on one sideband to protect analog signals while maintaining stronger digital performance on the other.
Press Communications, which filed a Petition for Reconsideration in November, is pushing for a formal application process before stations can implement asymmetric sidebands. The company argues that digital FM signals could interfere with adjacent analog broadcasts and require greater regulatory oversight.
Xperi, in its opposition filing, counters that Press Communications has failed to present real-world evidence of interference. The company notes that the FCC has permitted experimental asymmetric sideband operations for over 15 years without receiving credible interference complaints. Additionally, Xperi claims the petition is based on a flawed technical study by RF System Services.
The study, submitted alongside the petition, alleges that digital FM stations frequently exceed authorized power levels, potentially disrupting nearby analog signals. However, Xperi disputes these findings, stating that RFSS relied on unreliable off-air measurements that failed to account for environmental factors such as signal reflections, terrain obstructions, atmospheric conditions, and radio frequency interference. The company maintains that accurate power assessments should be conducted directly at the transmitter site using methods established by the National Radio Systems Committee.
Requiring a formal application process, as Press Communications suggests, would create unnecessary regulatory burdens and slow the growth of digital FM radio without clear benefits, Xperi argues. The company believes the notification process outlined in the First R&O strikes the right balance between oversight and operational flexibility.
“The Commission should dismiss and/or deny the Press Petition and continue its efforts to streamline the use of asymmetric sideband operations to advance the transition to digital FM broadcasting,” Xperi states in its filing.
The FCC has yet to issue a final ruling on the petition.
All of these IBOC operations are causing harmful interference and I am sick of it! You have stations running one HD channel and killing one or two channels either side of them for what purpose? Most people I know have disabled their radios from switching over to the digital signal because most of the time they sound terrible! Turn the crap OFF and stop jamming your neighbors on the band! There are stations that once served areas outside of their city grade signal that can no longer be heard beyond that because of these digital jammers