Santa Net Returns for 20th Consecutive Year

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Santa Net on 3.916 MHz returns for its 20th consecutive year. Part of The 3916 Nets, Santa Net will kick-off on 28th November 2025 and run through 23rd December 2025. The net will be active Thursday through Saturday night until 18th December at which point the net will run nightly.

“We’re excited to be back on the air for another year of spreading holiday cheer on the ham bands.”
— Pete Thomson (KE5GGY), of The 3916 Nets

Pre-net check-ins can be made online at http://www.cqsanta.com/.

Eakinomics: Time to Jettison Legacy FCC Rules

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Eakinomics: Time to Jettison Legacy FCC Rules

You know, maybe it’s time to try again. The endless (and pointless) network-neutrality debate over regulation of the internet using Title I versus Title II of the Communications Act of 1934 convinced Eakinomics it was time to simply dump the 1934 Act and pass a modern law for internet regulation. Now, a similar issue arises regarding Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ownership rules for broadcast media.

As nicely exposited by former AAF policy expert Jeff Westling (now at the International Centre for Law & Economics, where we wish him well and a better back swing) and Aryan Mirchandani:

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has long set standards designed to prevent consolidation within the radio and broadcasting industry. These standards aim to promote competition, localism and diversity of viewpoints by ensuring that the power to inform the masses is not held by limited actors. Congress directed the FCC to reevaluate these standards every four years to determine if they continue to meet their intended aim. In September, the FCC issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking continuing the latest quadrennial review.

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DRM Says It’s the Best Choice for Digital Radio in India

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India’s broadcast regulatory body recommended the adoption of a single national standard for digital radio in the VHF Band II (the so-called FM band 88–108 MHz). Now, in a new press release, Digital Radio Mondiale says it is the only technology fit for the job.

“With strong industry readiness and proven public-service integration, DRM is the only technology that satisfies both the letter and the spirit of the regulator’s roadmap,” said DRM in the release.

DRM can deliver a unified digital radio ecosystem that supports every broadcaster category [and] can enable true simulcasting, expanding free public access to information, education and emergency warnings through an open technology. DRM can ensure spectrum and energy efficiency, affordability and long-term sustainability across the country.”
— Digital Radio Mondiale

In October, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) released recommendations to allow analogue FM band stations to add digital services, as reported by the Economic Times. At the time, TRAI recommended that India adopt a single digital radio technology standard for the FM band, but it did not specify which one.

Over several years, advocates for both Digital Radio Mondiale and HD Radio have made pitches for their respective technologies to be selected. In this case, the DRM Consortium says that adopting DRM as India’s single, digital radio standard will ensure a “unified, secure and future-proof national broadcasting ecosystem.”