Radio and RIAA Want to Force Devices To Include FM Radios. Why Won't They Die Yet?

By theajaysharma

The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) and the RIAA are lobbying Congress to mandate that FM receivers should be put into cell phones, PDA's and other portable devices. 

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is the group of device makers and they'll have to add support for all these FM receivers has a slight problem with it.  CEA president Gary Shapirio:  "The backroom scheme of the NAB and RIAA to have Congress mandate broadcast radios in portable devices, including mobile phones, is the height of absurdity."

At first I was outraged because this is silly but I have since learned that several devices (iphone, google's nexus one) already have an FM receiver but they just aren't enabled.  So that's cool, no additional cost.  But c'mon, do we really need the government propping up the dying radio stations?  (speaking as someone who listens to Pandora and NPR)