Consumers, Former FCC Chairmen, Members of Congress, Public Interest
Groups, Diversity Organizations, Retail and Auto Companies, Religious
Leaders and More Have All Voiced Support

Following the approval of their merger by the Department of Justice
(DOJ), satellite radio companies XM Satellite Radio and
SIRIUS Satellite Radio, today highlighted the many
organizations and individuals who have publicly endorsed their merger.
They have all championed the lower prices and increased programming
choices that the merger will afford consumers and have urged the
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to approve the merger without
delay.

Wide Range of Support

In a strong indication of the consumer benefits inherent in this
transaction, the companies unveiled an array of new programming
options, including two first-of-their-kind à la carte options where
consumers can individually select the channels they wish to receive. A
public opinion survey found that over 70% of voters thought the two new
a la carte packages would be a good deal for consumers.

Since first announcing their intentions to merge, the public
reaction to the merger of SIRIUS and XM has been staggering.
Representatives from every possible stakeholder group in this debate
have weighed-in supporting the merger: thousands unique public comments
from consumers have been filed with the FCC; a number of Members of
Congress from both political parties have urged approval; two former
FCC Chairman and former FCC staff have voiced their support; leading
car manufacturers have all indicated the consumer benefits inherent in
the merger; the nation’s leading voices for minority audiences,
including the NAACP and LULAC, have asked the FCC for approval;
religious leaders and family values advocates, including Cardinal Egan
and American Values, have also supported the merger.

Minority Interest Organizations:
• NAACP
• Second District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church
• Hispanic Federation
• Independent Women’s Forum
• Latinos in Information Sciences and Technology Association (LISTA)
• League of United Latin American Citizens
• National Council of Women’s Organizations
• National Latino Farmers and Ranchers
• New York State Federation of Hispanic Chambers of Commerce
• National Black Chamber of Commerce
• The Latino Coalition
• Women Impacting Public Policy
• Women Involved in Farm Economics

Corporations and Manufacturers:
• Chrysler
• Circuit City
• Crutchfield Corporation
• Ford Motor Company
• General Motors Corporation
• Harpo Productions
• Honda
• Hyundai
• Kia Motors America
• Loral Space & Communications
• NASCAR
• Oracle
• Toyota
• RadioShack

Think Tanks and Consumer Groups:
• 60 Plus Association
• American Association of People with Disabilities
• American Trucking Associations
• Americans for Prosperity
• Americans for Tax Reform
• American Values
• Citizens for Community Values (CCV)
• Club for Growth
• Competitive Enterprise Institute
• FamilyNet Radio
• Family Research Council
• Federation of Southern Cooperatives
• Intertribal Agriculture Council
• League of Rural Voters
• National Taxpayers Union
• Rural Coalition
• The Free State Foundation
• The Heritage Foundation
• Tennessee Conservative Union

Current and Former Public Officials, and Federal Regulators:
• Mayor Karl F. Dean of Nashville, TN
• Former Senator Bill Bradley
• Congressman Joe Baca
• Congressman Sanford Bishop
• Congressman Rick Boucher
• Congresswoman Corrine Brown
• Congresswoman Yvette Clarke
• Congressman Danny Davis
• Congressman Eliot Engel
• Congressman Bob Filner
• Congresswoman Virginia Foxx
• Congressman Ralph Hall
• Congressman Alcee Hastings
• Congressman Connie Mack
• Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney
• Congressman Ted Poe
• Congressman Bobby Rush
• Congressman Pete Sessions
• Congressman Ed Towns
• Congressman Anthony Weiner
• Reed Hundt, former FCC Chairman
• Harold Furchtgott-Roth, former FCC Commissioner
• Mark Fowler, former FCC Chairman
• Randolph J. May, former FCC Assistant General Counsel
• Thomas Hazlett, former FCC Chief Economist

What People Are Saying

Here are just a few examples, in their own words, of why they support the merger:

On Diverse Programming…
“We are convinced that the pending Sirius-XM merger will be a positive
development for consumers – more diverse, accessible and appealing
options at lower prices in satellite radio will help further expand the
reach of this medium.”
- Hillary O. Shelton, Director, NAACP

On Competition…
“I think that if XM and Sirius combined, it will be pro-competitive in
all likelihood. It seems to me that there’s no indication of any
anticompetitive outcome if they do combine, so let’s give them a chance
to have a sharper point on the arrow and see if they can do better in
terms of penetrating the listener audience.”
- Reed Hundt, former Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

On Greater Choices and Lower Prices…
“[SIRIUS and XM] have promised to offer consumers more choice at lower
prices after the merger. Service offerings that let subscribers pay
less would permit even more Americans to experience satellite radio.”
- Edward Cardinal Egan, Archbishop of New York

On Innovation…
“More broadly, this merger proposes to combine two small players in the
audio entertainment market. As a result, the merger will bring greater
vitality and financial resources to this upstart technology. Allowing
this to happen will, in turn, spark a new generation of services and
products with more advanced and user-friendly features. Consumers, of
course, will be better off as a result.”
- Julian C. Day, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, RadioShack

On Benefits to Consumers…
“General Motors believes the proposed merger is and will be in the
public interest because the merged company will be able to offer
consumers expanded programming choices and a broad range of service
packages, including packages at lower prices.”
- Richard M. Lee, Executive Director of Satellite Radio Services, General Motors

On the Audio Entertainment Marketplace…
“The relevant market for competition purposes is the entire marketplace
for audio entertainment, including terrestrial radio, Internet radio
and Internet-protocol enabled applications. The relevant market clearly
includes all of terrestrial radio, as evidenced by repeated statements
by leading broadcast companies that they are in competition with
satellite radio.”
- Congressman Rick Boucher (D-VA)

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