This story is copyright Radio World.
It’s unclear if language on an audio broadcast flag will remain in the Senate version of the Telecom Act revision when the committee meets later this week to vote on the bill.
Draft language given to reporters by the Senate Commerce Committee covers satellite radio and HD Radio. If passed, the bill calls for the FCC to establish a “review board” made up of the affected industries; within one year, the board would submit a rule to the agency.
Talks among some of parties affected, including RIAA and NAB, have been ongoing. The RIAA tells RW Online, “This language is a compromise that will encourage negotiations in the marketplace, which is how a resolution should occur.”
While Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, is determined to get a bill out of committee, ranking minority member Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, says he and fellow Democrats are unimpressed with other, larger parts of the bill.
“Regrettably, we believe the latest draft of communications legislation marks a further step backward for consumers, and it calls into question our commitment to passing a bipartisan communications reform package in this Congress.”
