XM Satellite Radio said yesterday that it is suspending the sale of two products and reviewing others after a US regulator said the devices exceeded limits for wireless signal strength. XM said the suspensions applied to Audiovox and Delphi radios that let consumers play XM’s satellite radio service on regular radios but declined to say if it stopped the sale of other products.
XM said that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ruled that the signal strength of wireless transmissions from the Delphi and Audiovox products exceeded FCC limits, potentially interfering with nearby FM radios using similar frequencies.
XM said it was also taking a series of actions involving various radios it did not name to bring them into compliance with guidelines. Its actions include requests to manufacturers to stop shipping radios or accessories that might need hardware or software changes or changes to operating or installation instructions, XM said.
For example changes could include the addition of small attachments that reduce emissions, it said. Patterson declined to say if XM was stopping the sale of other products besides the ones named in the filing. He said that factory installed satellite radios for cars were not affected and that it did not suspend sales of its digital music players from Samsung Electronics and Pioneer Corp.
XM said in the filing that it would look for new equipment authorizations where appropriate and that it expects to give the FCC new information shortly, including the results of modified radios that comply with in-car test criteria. The company said that the sale suspensions do not involve any health and safety issues. Patterson said that no product recalls were planned.
(Source: Reuters)
