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XM-Sirius merger to be approved by FCC

by on24 July 2008

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Hold-out commissioner finally said to give approval

In one of the longest merger pre-approval processes that have seemed to stretch on forever, XM and Sirius satellite radio providers appear to have finally cleared the bar by obtaining FCC approval on their proposed merger.

The lone hold-out Commissioner, Deborah Taylor Tate, has given tentative approval of the merger. According to reports, she is expected to sign on in exchange for a consent decree that resolves several enforcement issues involving satellite radio.

XM and Sirius have been trying to gain approval for their merger for some time and have had to jump through a lot of hoops in order to get to this point. It has been a long, hard road, but although we found some of the conditions to be a bit unreasonable we agree that in the end it will be in the consumers’ best interests.

Many observers have suggested that the terrestrial radio lobby has had a lot to do with why this process has taken so long.

Last modified on 24 July 2008
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