Are radio stations that cater to largely Black and Latino audiences getting cheated out of important advertising dollars? On Monday, the federal government announced that it would look into complaints lodged by minority-oriented stations that their audiences are being seriously undercounted by Arbitron, a Maryland-based broadcast research firm. The problem, critics claim, is that Arbitron does not distribute enough of its Portable People Meters (PPMs) in communities of color. Lower counts make it more difficult to compete for advertisers. Minority-owned stations believe that the PPM is having “a devastating effect on their ability to compete,” Michael J. Copps, acting director of the Federal Communications Commission, said in a statement. “If our renewed commitment to promote minority broadcast ownership is to succeed, we must understand the ecosystem in which minority owners operate.” The metering devices, which are worn by radio listeners, register the radio stations they listen to. The FCC uses Arbitron’s figures in its analysis. But even though Arbitron calls its method a accurate way to measure what consumers listen to, broadcasters disagree. The problem, they say, is that Arbitron relies on homes with telephone service as its sample group. Since roughly a fifth of Black and Hispanic homes have only cell phone service, the methodology is faulty, critics contend.