Re: Often overlooked
Just in my lifetime (and speaking from my own country, YMMV):
* Growth of analog TV channels, then sudden conversion to digital = likely lower total broadcast power and less "noise" of spillage to other frequencies.
* Death of many radio stations (which may have a digital conversion of their own someday).
* Rise of analog mobile phones, then quickly killed for digital, which is limited to only a few frequency bands.
* Rise of Wi-Fi, again limited in frequency spread.
* Overall better EM design in many products compared to industry and appliances of 50 to 100 years ago.
Does this actually mean we're wasting less EM/RF into space even as we use more in this thin shell of atmosphere? Maybe. Can NASA tell us?