Rep. Walden hopes more smartphones add FM radio tuners

Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.), the chairman of the House subcommittee on Communications and Technology, suggested Wednesday that FM access should become a standard feature on smartphones.

It's good news that consumers will soon be able to listen to FM radio on their smartphones. Hope other companies take this approach.

— Rep. Greg Walden (@repgregwalden) January 9, 2013

Sprint is rolling out access to local FM radio content on a range of new Android and Windows smartphones starting later this year, according to The Wall Street Journal this week.

It would be the first time a carrier offered a range of smartphones that can tune in to local radio broadcasts without streaming Internet radio using a data plan, making it a particularly useful tool for emergencies.

A radio tuner is not common on most smartphones, which are becoming increasingly common. Nielsen found last May that more than 50 percent of U.S. cellphone users are now using smartphones. 

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