‘I have no idea what the FCC will ultimately do’ to resolve debat...
“I have no idea what the FCC will ultimately do” to resolve debate between satellite digital audio radio services (DARS) providers and wireless communications services (WCS) industry on alleged interference threat posed by DARS terrestrial repeaters, Sirius Satellite Radio…
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CEO Joseph Clayton told SkyForum conference in N.Y.C. Tues. “I think there will be some sort of grandfathering of the existing situation, and perhaps some parameters set that indeed we could live with.” But he said “your guess is as good as mine” on likely timetable. On NAB complaints to FCC that Sirius and XM Satellite Radio might use terrestrial repeaters to insert local programming (which DARS providers have denied), Clayton said NAB position was of no real concern, adding: “Lobbyists are paid to lobby.” XM CEO Hugh Panero said debate typified “arcane” FCC process to work out disputes among industries vying to share adjacent spectrum. “I should note that today, there has been no interference with anyone in the WCS spectrum,” he said. As for NAB, Panero said Association “doesn’t know how to take yes for an answer.” He denied again that XM planned to use repeaters to transmit local programming, as it was barred from doing under DARS license. He said NAB lobbyists were “just responding to their client base,” which has long considered satellite radio threat to local programming.