In early November, Sirius Satellite Radio applied with the FCC to place repeater towers in Alaska and Hawaii. If granted the towers in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau (for Alaska), as well as Honolulu (for Hawaii), would allow Sirius to reliably broadcast outside of the continental United States.
But Alaska radio broadcasters are opposed to the plan. They don't oppose Sirius covering the region mind you, just the repeater towers. Because, well, because they just do.
Scott Smith, president of the Alaska Broadcasters Association, told the Anchorage Daily News it would be unfair for the satellite radio company to be allowed to set up an over-the-air system.
"We don't care if they want to bring the service into the area, but if they're a satellite service, then they should put the bird up," said Smith.
...and who can argue with logic like that?
What will Smith say when the cell phone carriers want to go to Alaska?
No offense, I love my XM & SIRIUS just the same as the next guy, but the guy's got a point. If they can't reach the area at ALL via satellite, tough noogies. The repeaters are a network to supplement the satellite coverage in spotty areas clearly inside the main satellite coverage. That's what was basically agreed upon when XM & SIRIUS got their licenses, that repeaters were for completing the main coverage in highly populated or terrain difficult areas. Not to expand their coverage. Alaska is not within that main area.
Cell phone carriers are completely different: they're not calling themselves a "satellite service" and then try to deliver the service solely by a different means.
I have to disagree with syphix. They received the licenses to provide a music service. So long as they only uses the allowed frequencies, the method of transmission should not matter. If they wanted to broadcast via satellite, high altitude baloons, solar powered airplanes, transmission towers, etc. then they should be allowed to do so. Other communications companies are allowed to do so, why not companies such as sirius and xm?!?
But Scott Smith is acting like the repeaters compete and interfere with over-the-air broadcast signals saying it's unfair. You still need the subscription and the hardware.
Uuuum Errrr so how will this NAB backed complaint be changed when XM drifts XM1 a little west and trains the beam on Alaska and then drifts XM2 over and catches all of Hawaii and heck.. what about Guam? (that was a joke) By Alaskan logic .. they would be happy with XM moving in then putting up repeaters to cover the spotty places as they have the birds up there already.
Maybe its time for Satellite radio (both XM & Sirius) to rebrand themselves as "premium" radio even though the primary vehicle for deliver is via satellite? Content broadcast from terrestrial repeaters can only be heard on hardware compatible with the respective service providers. It is not like these terrestrial repeaters are overpowering terrestrial radio signals.
This is pay radio no matter how the content is delivered.
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