Whether the licensing fee is small or large is not the matter....it's simply the fact that a corporation owns the system. And DBX is optional (I don't think AC-3 is though; perhaps a bad part on the FCC's side for choosing that system). HD Radio
is the entire system. What if somebody wants to make an open-source decoder or encoder (like
this) for HD Radio signals? They will be slammed by royalties, and unable to do so.
The VHF-FM and MW-AM airwaves are the public's, use a single mandated system of modulation/transmission (per each band), and therefore should use a public system. Perhaps the FCC should take some more time investigating digital radio; there is absolutely no need to rush into it. Analog AM and FM serve most customers fine as they are right now, hence the slow and low take-up of HDR. If terrestrial broadcasting is failing, it's not because of a lack of choice, it's because a lack of good programming. One of the heresies of the day is that digital is always better, and that we must rush beyond antiquated analog. In fact, some digital technologies are promising to enrich analog reception, such as Motorola's Symphony chipset.