Whether Mr. Pai is indeed a free-market purist or a pragmatic jurist, I don't know. I suspect the latter. If it's going to require legislation to force the manufacturers and carriers to activate the chips, we all know where that's going.
The reality is that the FCC doesn't regulate noise-causing electronic devices like light bulbs, switching power supplies, etc. Do you really think they would force consumer electronics manufacturers to install working radios in phones? Answer? No.
And sorry, Kelly, but I have to reject that argument. Currently, I would agree that only .0001% of smartphone owners care about a functioning FM chip. That's because the wet noodle radio industry isn't aggressive in rolling out a campaign for NextRadio and smartphones w/activated FM chips. You cannot move the marketplace if you don't stimulate the market to want your product.
You're right about one thing, that it would take a major push and financial commitment by broadcasters too, but that ain't gonna happen. Remember the beginnings of HD Radio? The sum total of broadcaster financial commitment, even with the principals in the game, was to run free, some would argue cryptic, spots on stations running HD. When it comes to broadcasters hiring PR firms, lawyers, or lobbyists to forward the cause of requiring FM tuners in smartphones? No shot. Your argument is similar to the tiny minority that was going to push for the resurrection of AM stereo back in the early 2000's . "Well gee wiz, if I run my 1,000 watt Class D station with AM stereo, it could start a trend!" Reality is, just like forcing FM tuner in phones: Water molecule in an ocean. And of course don't forget, consumers don't care about listening to a radio, let alone via their phone.
An antenna can be affixed to the USB port of a smartphone as easily as through a soon to be obsolete headphone jack.
Take a trip in Mr. Peabody's Wayback machine to 1978: The Sony Walkman used the headphones as an antenna. One of the reasons for the demise of the Walkman? From the consumer perspective, the listening experience was inconsistent. A runner turning the corner had reception start breaking up or get noisy. You shift the antenna around for a better signal, but move slightly and it got bad again. You really think a modern consumer with a phone that can hear AV streaming, Pandora, Spotify, Podcasts, whatever, are going to put up with having to move an antenna around for acceptable reception? Eventually Sony eliminated the radio tuner, and went straight cassette player, just about the time CD's arrived on the scene. Other than car radios, the days of portable radio receivers are numbered.
Make no mistake, this is about survival. No need to put on the white gloves to a knife fight. And it starts with us. I have a good friend who owns a couple of small town stations who also owns an Apple phone. He doesn't know it yet, but I'm cooking up a campaign for his stations which I'll call "Brick Your Apple."
Yeah good luck with that. Do you really think someone who pays $600 for a phone is going to get rid of it because someone like you thinks they're a fan boy? What rock did you crawl from under?