Political correct but technical and 
economical insanity
“All we hear is Radio Ga Ga” Freddie Mercury sang in the 1980s, a text the Swedish Minister of Culture perhaps still humming on but at same time refuses to get the message. Something that is demonstrated by the proposition to close down the FM-network the year 2022, not to use digital technology that actually works and is developing, but to build a completely new digital radio-network to an extreme cost. The development of web-radio and radio with mobile-apps seems to have passed the Ministry of Culture by with out a trace. However, not that it exists; it is mentioned in the proposition, but the use, since the government will only support DAB radio and nothing else.
The EU Court of Law says NO
With this the Ministry of Culture not only ignore the ongoing development of technology to broadcast radio, but also the EU Commission’s decision in the Berlin-Brandenburg 2004-2006 case that in the year 2011 was implemented by the EU Court of Law. The ruling says that this type of financial support is breaking the EU rules for state support. Since the digital transformation must occur without discrimination and must be implemented in a technically neutral way. In practice this means that the Swedish Government with the Minister of Culture in the frontline will finance a new DAB-radio-network with several hundreds of millions Swedish kronor then they must finance other technologies with the same amount. This fact makes the project impossible. At least in case the tax payers are allowed to express their view. After this description it is easy to start singing on the chorus to Radio Ga Ga.
“All we hear is radio ga ga
radio goo goo
radio ga ga
All we hear is radio ga ga
radio blah blah
Radio what’s new?
Radio, someone still loves you”
However, Freddie Mercury’s magical voice is required to get the most out of the song…
Written by
LarsGöran Boström©
Sources:
Dab-radio? Makalöst pinsamt
http://www.idg.se/2.1085/1.513309/dab-radio-makalost-pinsamt
Experten om dab-beslutet: “Katastrofalt uselt”
http://www.idg.se/2.1085/1.514227/experten-om-dab-beslutet–katastrofalt-uselt
EU-stopp för statsstöd till DAB-radio
http://digitalradion.blogspot.se/2013/07/eu-stopp-for-statsstod-till-dab.html