House Commerce Committee Chmn. Tauzin (R-La.) told FCC Chmn. Powe...
House Commerce Committee Chmn. Tauzin (R-La.) told FCC Chmn. Powell that he had concerns that XM Satellite Radio was pursuing permanent licenses for terrestrial repeaters and wanted the Commission to find out what XM’s business plan was for the…
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repeaters. In a June 6 letter that was co-signed by Committee member Rep. Green (D-Tex.), Tauzin said permanent repeaters could allow XM to provide localized content, “an activity that the Commission has previously indicated should be prohibited.” The letter said concern with permanent licenses had increased with the recent announcement that XM would offer localized weather programming to marine, aviation and emergency subscribers. “It is clear that nothing now stops XM from taking this a step further and offering local programming in the terrestrial radio market to hundreds of thousands of automobile subscribers,” the letter said. The final licenses for the repeaters should prohibit the devices from being used to broadcast localized programming, it said. “Given this latest expansion into localized programming, we believe that the Commission must guard against the possibility of XM eventually trying to skirt the intent of the Commission, should it determine XM cannot offer localized programming through repeater networks,” the letter said. Tauzin said the FCC should require XM to disclose its business and technology plans for offering localized programming to learn what it planned for the repeaters. “This knowledge is necessary for the Commission to make a fully informed final license decision,” Tauzin said. Chance Patters, XM vp-corp. affairs, said the XM weather service was a national service for marine, aviation and emergency management usage and XM provides all of its service in accordance with FCC regulations.