The attorneys general of four states have
added their voices to 10 others opposing the merger of XM and Sirius
Satellite Radio. The top public prosecutors from Connecticut, Maryland,
Ohio and Washington sent a three-page letter last week to Kevin Martin,
chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, urging him not to
approve the merger. FCC approval is the last hurdle faced by the
satellite companies, whose proposed merger has already been approved by
the U.S. Department of Justice.

The letter–almost identical to the one sent by 10 other state
attorneys general toward the end of March–argues that the merger would
decrease competition and harm consumers.

If the merger gets a green light, however, the attorneys general added
that the FCC should set aside part of the satellite-accessible spectrum
for a free service to be started by a new third-party company. They
reason that this is a minimum requirement for preserving competition
once the two dominant entities have merged.

The letter from the attorneys general isn’t
the only petition containing a conditional request. While terrestrial
broadcasters have stated their opposition to the merger in no uncertain
terms, the HD Digital Radio Alliance–representing the same
companies–sent the FCC a petition asking that satellite radio sets be
required to include HD receivers, if the satellite merger is approved.

[Via:Mediapost.com]

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