Whether the HD Radio system requires payment of royalties is immaterial in terms of a sunset. Analog cellular was sunsetted despite royalties paid for both digital handsets and towers. Well analog cellular wasn't mandated to be turned off; like analog radio, it uses shared spectrum inefficiently, so it was turned off voluntarily. Like analog radio, analog cellular had some advantages over digital.

There won't ever be an analog sunset for radio in the U.S., because iBiquity's system is proprietary. The FCC was very clear in saying that the marketplace will govern the pace/success of digital adoption for this reason.

The analog television industry was sunsetted in a few years. Ditto for the cell phone industry. For radio, the sunset period will be longer, but in can be done in stages: 1) Mandate digital in new receivers. 2) Require radio stations to broadcast in digital. 3) Permit analog to be turned off. 4) Require analog to be turned off.

How many people do you know who actually go out and buy a new radio? They may get one with a new car, but when was the last time somebody walked into a retail establishment and said "I'd like to buy a radio"? I'd like to see the looks on the salespeoples' faces when that happens. Sunset regular AM and FM (especially FM) and you'll be sunsetting the entire over-the air radio industry

Interesting that a technology like HD Radio is used in ways that weren't envisioned when it was launched. It's becoming difficult to buy a replacement receiver that _doesn't_ include HD, and the vast majority of new car manufacturers offer HD Radio, increasingly as a standard feature, even on lower priced vehicles. Time to start thinking of sunset dates for analog radio.