In response to a letter sent Tuesday to Nielsen Media Research CEO Susan Whiting, Senator Charles Schumer of New York asked the company to explain why it was pushing ahead with its controversial local
people meters when a potentially superior, passive method, portable people meters are being developed in the U.S. by Nielsen and Arbitron and being deployed in Canada as part of a joint venture
between Nielsen and Canada's BBM ratings service. The lawmaker's query, which follows last week's Congressional hearings on Nielsen's local people meter service, asks for information on the
differences between the U.S. and Canadian TV markets, and what steps Nielsen is taking to accelerate the portable meters in the U.S. marketplace.