Local Rep opposes XM/Sirius Merger
Pittsburgh, National News: US Representative Mike Doyle (D - Forest Hills), as vice-chairman of the House Telecommunications Subcommittee has voiced his opposition to the merger of Satellite Radio rivals XM and Sirius. (Story found in the McKeesport Daily News 5/29 - not online.) Doyle's letter to Attorney General Alberto Gonzoles, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin and FTC Chairman Deborah Platt Majoras says the merger would be harmful to subscribers and is not in the public interest. In addition Doyle stated that the FCC knows that "licensing at least two providers will help to ensure that subscription rules are competitive, as well as provide for a diversity of voices." Apparently neither satcaster heeded an FCC order to provide a receiver able to switch between network software.Readers’ Forum
It seems to me—and this is not an original opinion—that the merger of XM and Sirius hurts the public interest if you consider them only to be in competition with each other, and not all other listening choices, including commercial radio. The fact that entities like Clear Channel oppose this merger is telling.
Jonathan Potts (URL) - June 03, 2007 at 10:11 am
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