What Is This All About? The Federal Communications Commission (“FCC“) has directed SiriusXM to select Qualified Entities to lease channel space for transmission on satellite radio.

What Is A "Qualified Entity"? The FCC has made this set-aside available only to lessees that (1) are not directly or indirectly owned, in whole or in part, by SiriusXM or an affiliate of SiriusXM; (2) do not share any common officers, directors or employees with SiriusXM or any affiliate of SiriusXM; and (3) did not have any existing relationships with SiriusXM for the supply of programming during the two years prior to October 19, 2010. SiriusXM selected five Qualified Entities in 2011 to program its initial complement of Qualified Entity set-aside channels.

What Are We Looking For? See the Request for Proposal for Satellite Radio Programming Services. We will soon select a lessee for one additional Qualified Entity set-aside channel for carriage on radios that receive the Sirius satellite network, online at SiriusXM.com, and via the SiriusXM App for smartphones and other connected devices.

In selecting programming for this set-aside, we are looking for the following: Programming representing diverse viewpoints and/or diverse entertainment content; improved service to historically underserved audiences; original content of a type not otherwise available to SiriusXM subscribers; access to new sources of content and new entrants to mass media. Applications should demonstrate that proposer has the financial, operational, and technical ability to perform its obligations under the lease. We will select a programmer that, in our judgment, will be able to meet its obligations and deliver its proposed mix or type of programming for the duration of the lease term. Existing Qualified Entity programmers who program only one channel on the Sirius or XM networks are eligible to apply.

What Are The Deadlines? Proposals are due by March 2, 2015. We plan to make the tentative selection on April 27, 2015 and sign lease agreements by June 11, 2015.

Are the Qualified Entity Channels the Same As the Public Interest Channels? No, SiriusXM carries separate channels under its Qualified Entity set-aside and its noncommercial public interest set-aside. SiriusXM reviews its public interest channels on an ongoing basis and currently plans to add one additional public interest channel, which will also be received only on certain satellite radios designed to receive SiriusXM’s expanded channel lineup, online at SiriusXM.com, and via the SiriusXM App for smartphones and other connected devices. Entities qualifying for this set-aside (defined in 47 C.F.R. § 25.701(f)(2)) may submit applications for one channel of noncommercial educational and informational programming by contacting Jennifer Kunkle at jennifer.kunkle@siriusxm.com by March 2, 2015.

Please review the following links in detail, which provide important background, instructions, and contact information. It is any proposer's responsibility to review, understand and comply with all matters related to the Qualified Entity Set-Aside, as described in the following documents:

(Note: this is only a model agreement that will be updated and customized for any RFP offering for new Qualified Entity channels.)