Hurricanes highlight need for radio-enabled smartphones

During my career in emergency management — including nearly eight years as head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency — I consistently witnessed local broadcasting’s public safety role during times of emergency.

As demonstrated during Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, local governments and public safety officials rely on broadcast radio and TV to let the public know what is happening on the ground during a disaster. Even in today’s connected world, local radio and TV provide the best source of information in a crisis.

That is why I am puzzled by the debate over Apple’s reluctance to equip its iPhones with FM radio reception capability.

Recently, this newspaper called on Apple to activate FM chips in iPhones in the wake of Hurricane Irma. That call was echoed by, among others, Federal Communications Chairman Ajit Pai and Florida Sen. Bill Nelson.

Yet, Apple’s response is baffling. It said that the iPhone 7 and 8 models do not include FM chips, while citing emergency weather alerts and access Medical ID card information as evidence of its appreciation for public safety. However, though these services are noble, they do not offer lifeline emergency information when cellular networks go down.

While there is evidence the communications chips in iPhone 7 and 8s do, in fact, include potential FM radio capability, it is curious that Apple would even claim to have taken out FM radio chips from its newer models. After years of resistance, Apple’s brethren in the wireless industry, including Samsung, LG and HTC, have lit up the radio chips already in their devices in the U.S.

Public safety officials advise Americans to have a battery-operated radio handy in order to tune into local radio during an emergency. Radio-enabled mobile devices can provide this function and allow users to listen to potentially lifesaving information from local radio stations. This feature also consumes little battery power — a plus when phone charging is at a premium — and is not reliant on the wireless networks that often fail or become congested during an emergency.

Radio-enabled smartphones can also work hand-in-hand with wireless emergency alerts sent during a crisis, which often direct recipients to turn to local media for more information. Radio capability on mobile devices allows people to easily switch to broadcast radio to stay safe.

As Hurricane Irma struck South Florida, many residents turned to their radio-enabled smartphones to receive critical information about the storm. According to Tagstation, which runs the NextRadio app that allows radio listenership on smartphones, listener counts for the app were up 850 percent in Miami from the previous Sunday. In the Fort Myers region, listener counts were even higher, up 1,127 percent from the previous week.

As Americans face devastating natural disasters from hurricanes to wildfires to tornadoes, it is irresponsible for Apple to continue resisting this straightforward, common sense approach to public safety. It is time for Apple to do the right thing and equip smartphones with FM radio capability. Lives depend on it.

Craig Fugate served as President Barack Obama’s FEMA administrator from May 2009 to January 2017. Previously, he served as Florida Gov. Jeb Bush’s Emergency Management Director from 2001 to 2009.