Previous Commission Chairman Kevin Martin was reluctant to investigate a third-party ratings service which doesn’t hold an FCC license. But Acting Chairman Michael Copps decides he’s heard enough from the PPM Coalition, minority broadcasters and other groups such as the New Jersey Broadcasters Association. The FCC’s own Diversity Committee passed a resolution advocating an investigation, and now the agency will hear evidence on whether the new electronic ratings technology undercounts minorities, among other things. Arbitron says its panels contain representative numbers of minorities and that it’s been improving the system. The just-issued FCC Notice of Inquiry is here. The Radio-Info.com boards are discussing it here: