Does Lack of FM Support On Phones Increase Your Chances of Dying In a Disaster?

theodp writes "You may not know it," reports NPR's Emma Bowman, "but most of today's smartphones have FM radios inside of them. But the FM chip is not activated on two-thirds of devices. That's because mobile makers have the FM capability switched off. The National Association of Broadcasters has been asking mobile makers to change this. But the mobile industry, which profits from selling data to smartphone users, says that with the consumer's move toward mobile streaming apps, the demand for radio simply isn't there." But FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate says radio-enabled smartphones could sure come in handy during times of emergency. So, is it irresponsible not to activate the FM chips? And should it's-the-app-way-or-the-highway Apple follow Microsoft's lead and make no-static-at-all FM available on iPhones?

Comments

Re:Me personally? no..

[kamapuaa]

I am a ham radio operator, I have a significantly higher chance of survival than the rest.

Yeah, keep rationalizing your weird 1970s hobby, nerd.

There is about a one in a billion chance that it will save your life (I really think this is a realistic figure), and you put a large amount of time/expense into it. Imagine if you put that amount of time/money into, say, a health club membership. Or extra doctor visits. Or healthier food. A safer car. This would have a much larger chance of actually having anything to do with how long you live.