Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), wrote an open letter to FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, urging him not to rush the approval of the merger between Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. and XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. and to very closely consider the matter.
It’s a funny statement, considering that it has been over 380 days since the companies with the FCC, but Kerry feels that “serious concerns remain as to how this merger will impact consumers if it is permitted to go forward.”
Kerry recognizes that “the financial incentives to consolidate are indisputable” for Sirius and XM, but that it “does not follow however that it would be in the public interest for these two competing entities to merger.”
The former presidential hopeful added that “if left unchecked, the entity that would emerge from
this partnership would be capable of exercising monopolistic powers
that could potentially result in diminished service at increased rates
to consumers.”
Kerry additionally asked Martin to “resist rubber stamping the Justice Department’s determination that sufficient competition exists. Should the FCC determine that this merger does indeed serve the public interest, I urge you to consider appropriate conditions that will effectively protect the American consumer from what could prove to be an entity with strong monopoly power.”
The Senator also pointed out that he is a senior member of the Senate Commerce
Committee (which oversees the FCC along with the House Energy &
Commerce Committee) and said he will keep his eye on the Commission to make
sure that it serves the public interest.
[FMQB]
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