Earlier today a commenter asked whether I had asked XM for their take on the Senate bill meant to block localized satellite radio content. I pinged both XM and SIRIUS on this, and here's what XM spokesperson Chance Patterson had to say:

XM's 6 million subscribers expect the most from their satellite radio provider.  XM will continue to deliver information like Amber Alerts, reports of severe weather, traffic jams, and play-by-play sports as long as the law and our FCC license continues to allow such programming.  We trust that the majority of policymakers agree that the availability of more information is good for consumers.

At the time of writing this, a spokesperson from SIRIUS hadn't gotten back to me.

I think that it's important that we express our concern over this bill. First thing's first, you can contact the Senators who proposed the bill by clicking next to their names: Sen Olympia Snowe - Maine (contact form), Max Baucus - Montana (contact form), and Trent Lott - Mississippi (contact form).

Then go here and contact your own state's Senator and let them know exactly how you feel about the "Local Emergency Radio Service Preservation Act of 2006" (S. 2418). I just cannot see a way that this is a "benefit" to the general community. There is a value to satellite radio providing localized content, and the only people this bill serves to benefit are members of the NAB.