What's Happening With Satellite Channels Promised To Minorities?What's Happening With Satellite Channels Promised To Minorities?
October 28, 2008
One of the provisions of the FCC approval over the merger of XM and Sirius was the promise of leasing out a portion of the satellite spectrum to minority broadcasters. However, since the merger officially began, there has not been any word about the fate of the channels to be leased. According to Ars Technica, time is running out for the FCC to decide which broadcasters will lease the channels.
As part of the merger qualifications, Sirius XM has four months since the merger to give at least one "qualified entry" from a minority owned broadcaster access to lease four percent of Sirius and XM's combined channels, which adds up to a dozen in all. Ars Technica notes that the merger became official on July 29, which makes the deadline November 29. Also, Sirius and XM agreed as part of the conditions not to be involved in deciding who the minority broadcasters are, which leaves the decision up to the FCC.
Robert Kenny of the FCC told Ars Technica that the agency is "setting the criteria for qualified entities, but that process has not yet been completed." Radio One recently filed with the Commission, suggesting three "super channels" airing on both XM and Sirius and the rest going to channels that are not simulcast on both, but would "provide national programming that is important to minority communities but does not have widespread support and therefore can not be sustained as a 24/7 operation."
The other recent filings with the FCC are all applicants to lease the channels, including Hispanic Information and Telecommunications Network, Media Ventures Unlimited, and Radio Erin, an Irish music Internet radio station. However, Ars Technica notes that the Irish are not listed as meeting the Commission's criteria for a "qualified entry."
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