Nine Canadian organizations have appealed the government’s decision to license satellite radio services in the country.

A letter protesting the June 16 decision to award licenses to Canadian companies representing XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio was delivered to the clerk of the privy council, who operates as Canada’s deputy prime minister and provides impartial advice to the prime minister.

The letter, dated June 27, calls for the decision by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to be set aside or returned to the CRTC for reconsideration. The letter, signed by representatives of groups such as the Canadian Independent Record Production Association, the Directors Guild of Canada, Friends of Canadian Broadcasting, the Songwriters Association of Canada and the Writers Guild of Canada, claim the licensees are not required to broadcast enough Canadian content as required under the government’s Broadcasting Act.

Indie Pool, an organization of independent musicians in Canada, called the appeal disappointing, saying that licensing the services in Canada will help end the gray market for satellite radio. Under the gray market, Canadian citizens gain access to satellite services by subscribing under U.S. addresses, benefiting from the service while denying revenue to Canadian artists and the government.

The license requirements placed on the satellite radio providers could pump up to 60 million Canadian dollars ($48.7 million) into programs to develop Canadian talent, more than any other kind of broadcaster, Indie Pool said.

“Royalties resulting from expanded exposure across North America could reach millions of dollars and the airplay and monetary contributions towards Canadian talent development will have an unprecedented impact on our future stars,” Gregg Terrence, president of Indie Pool, said in a statement. “This is a gift horse that we cannot ignore. … Twenty- thousand Canadian independent artists want satellite radio and we want it now.”