NAB asked the FCC to adopt rules clarifying that satellite radio ...

that would be aired on a receiver in one location that differs from the content that would be aired on a receiver in a different location” and “providing locally oriented services on nationally distributed channels.” In a petition for declaratory ruling filed Wed., NAB targeted the recently introduced traffic and weather services offered by both companies in a number of cities. The companies have said the services don’t violate their existing satellite digital audio radio service (SDARS) authorizations because the content, though specific to certain cities, is broadcast over the satellites nationally and is available to any listener in any part of either company’s coverage area (CD March 1 p3). But NAB said the localized service “is inherently contrary to the goal of ‘fair and efficient’ distribution of local broadcast services. A centralized ‘localized’ service, which is essentially duplicative of existing programming, does little to foster diversity and localism: it can exist only to the detriment of the dissemination of free and over-the-air local services to local communities.” NAB expressed concern that the companies would take things farther by combining technologies, like GPS and store-and-forward technologies, to deliver local programming like news and advertisement. “Using these technologies, an SDARS provider could, for example, beam to its listeners local content feed (i.e., using excess bit stream capacity outside of the active audio streams) to be stored in memory chips or hard disc drives of next generation receivers,” NAB said. “In turn, these receivers would be capable, based either on the geographic position of the receiver or by other information such as the listener’s subscriber number, of filtering and placing into the listener’s audience stream, at specified times… local content that is tailored to the listener’s location.” Sirius hadn’t seen the filing and declined comment and XM didn’t comment on the action by our deadline.