Radio

The **Radio** consists of the technologies allowing the wireless transmission of signals over a medium.

## History

The radio was first conceived in the city of Detrot a few years before the 11th century of the common era. Its invention was inspired in part by telephony, which uses the conversion between sound and electrical signals.

The Equestrian government by order of the princesses adopted the technology soon, considering the potential of a technology that allowed sending information to citizens instantly without a telegraph.

The Broadcast Company (BC) was founded as a government enterprise dedicated to the construction of radio stations and the manufacture of radio receptors.

The first radio station was soon built in Canterlot, and stations in other major Equestrian cities followed. These stations were used to broadcast information considered by the government to be of public interest, such as news, requests and warnings.

Radio receptors sold by the BC were often subsidized as the contents of the broadcasts was considered of public interest, so radio receptors became a common sight even in poorer neighborhoods.

In wealthier areas where subsidies weren't used as much, private manufacturers of receptors began popping up.

As receptors became common, private stations were also built all over Equestria as citizens of all incomes had access to the broadcasts.

A radio culture soon exploded in Equestrian cities as private experimental stations tried to find potential uses of the new technology, many of which didn't last as they were found to be impractical such as "alarm stations" that just broadcasted an alarm going off at certain hours so creatures can tune in to those stations to wake up.

The Interplanetary Friendship Society uses radio to search for life outside of Equus.

## Legislation

The national government regulates which frequencies are used in what areas to avoid signals and frequencies from overlapping and requires a license for all radio emitters. These licenses indicate the point an emitter can broadcast from, the area of coverage of their broadcast, the frequency at which the signal is broadcast and the reason why broadcasting is desired.

Broadcasting without a license or outside of the terms indicated in the license is legally known as signal hijacking and often carries legal penalties (even if there aren't any signals of the same frequency in the broadcasting area).

In the range of frequencies, the lowest are used by government employees, such as the military and the police. Listening to these frequencies is illegal. Most commercial radio receivers are disabled from listening in this range, although creatures have been known to modify or build radio receivers to listen. Broadcasts in these frequencies often use codes to obscure the meaning of the information to would-be listeners. Hijacking a signal at these frequencies carries a particularly harsh punishment.

The next lowest frequencies in the range are reserved for government-owned local radio stations which are used to air government information and public utility information, such as news, descriptions of lost creatures and wanted criminals and anything that is considered of public interest. These stations can cover neighborhoods, cities, towns or entire provinces.

Most of the range is considered private and anyone can get a license to broadcast in this range.