A non-profit, charitable Hispanic educational organization has appauled FCC Chairman Kevin Martin's propoal [1] for a public interest set-aside in the merger between Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. and XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc.

The Hispanic Information and Telecommunications Network [2] (HITN), an organization dedicated to promoting educational opportunities for Hispanic Americans, said the importance of the Chairman's proposal "should not be overlooked" in a letter to Martin.

HITN formed HITN-TV, the first and only Latino managed and controlled public interest TV network - which is available in over 30 million U.S. households through DirecTV, Dish Network, Comcast Cable, Time Warner Cable, and Charter Communications.

"For HITN-TV, the DBS set-aside has permitted out network to service the educational needs of Spanish language households as well as provide a glimpse into the rich, diverse interests and culture of Latino America for all viewers," wrote HITN.

"A public interest set-aside for satellite radio would afford the same opportunity for non-profit broadcasters like HITN-TV to provide non-commercial content to listeneres and to offer new, fresh or alternative perspectives to what is available through major consolidated media outlets."

HITN went on to urge the FCC to ensure that capacity for public interest channels are reserved for "truly non-profit entities" and there should be no cost for carriage for the non-profits.

"I applaud the Chairman for introducing the concept of public interest and minority programming set-asides to satellite radio," HITN concluded. "It is a good idea which should be built upon and implemented in a way that ensures that independent, minority, and public interest voices have a chance to be heard."

So, how is it that an established public interest network can see the value in Martin's proposal, while an inexperienced, unestablished organization like Georgetown Partners can't?