FCC Ruines Satellite Radio

I have been a long-time subscriber of Sirius Satellite Radio, and love the crystal clear sound and the uninterrupted hours of music. After my fist-generation plug & play unit started declining I replaced it with the NEW Sportster 4 and the difference in quality is unbearable. From the beginning the sound-quality was horrible, lots of static & pink noise in the background, and the installation of the new FM antenna booster on the front windshield is awkward and may be illegal in some states.

After listening to the static for the first hour on my usual ride from upstate NY to Boston, I called the Sirius customer service line. After going through the normal menu choices I get a real person to complain to. The only problem is I can't understand a word he is saying in his broken English, and I get put on hold for over 10 minutes which prompted me to hang-up.

On my second call I get someone who I can understand and she transfered me to a technician. I explained the lack of sound-quality and how I was disappointed in my choice of units and he said that since the purchase of my first-generation unit the FCC stepped in and limited their FM frequency strength, making their broadcasts in the car very poor in most metropolitan areas. He was very helpful and asked if I would like an FM modulator that would plug into my factory radio and eliminate the static for a mere 1 penny. I SAID YES!

So a special thank you to the technician at Sirius for the sweet hook-up, but why is the FCC regulating Satellite Radio? I guess Howard Stern was right all along, F### the FCC!