FCC chairman asks Apple to switch on FM radio chips in iPhones

The top US communications regulator asked Apple Inc on Thursday to activate FM radio chips in iPhones to allow US citizens access to life-saving information in situations when natural disasters, etc, rendered wireless networks inoperative. But the company said its newer models did not have the chips.

Federal Communications Commission chairman Ajit Pai said Apple was the one major phone manufacturer that has not activated the chips.

"I hope the company will reconsider its position, given the devastation wrought by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria," Pai said in a statement.

However apple said in its own statement that newer iPhone 7 and 8 models did not have FM chips "nor do they have antennas designed to support FM signals, so it is not possible to enable FM reception in these products."

Apple added it has "engineered modern safety solutions into our products. Users can dial emergency services and access Medical ID card information directly from the Lock Screen, and we enable government emergency notifications, ranging from Weather Advisories to AMBER alerts."

FCC officials said it is not clear whether the agency would have regulatory authority to require a company to activate the chips.

Pai had said,  ''In recent years, I have repeatedly called on the wireless industry to activate the FM chips that are already installed in almost all smartphones sold in the United States.  And I've specifically pointed out the public safety benefits of doing so. 

"In fact, in my first public speech afterI became chairman, I observed that '[y]ou could make a case for activating chips on public safety grounds alone.'  When wireless networks go down during a natural disaster, smartphones with activated FM chips can allow Americans to get vital access to life-saving information.  I applaud those companies that have done the right thing by activating the FM chips in their phones.

''Apple is the one major phone manufacturer that has resisted doing so.  But I hope the company will reconsider its position, given the devastation wrought by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria.  That's why I am asking Apple to activate the FM chips that are in itsiPhones.  It is time for Apple to step up to the plate and put the safety of the American people first.  As the Sun Sentinel of South Florida put it, 'Do the right thing, Mr. Cook.  Flip the switch.  Lives depend on it.' ''