WASHINGTON, DC – - Commenting on today's programming announcement by XM and Sirius, NAB Executive Vice President of Media Relations Dennis Wharton released the following statement:
"Policymakers should not be hoodwinked by today's announcement, since nothing is stopping either XM or Sirius from individually offering consumers a more affordable choice in limited program packages. Moreover, after reading the fine print, one discovers that XM and Sirius customers have to buy a new radio for an undisclosed fee to reap the alleged rewards from today's announcement.
"The history of antitrust law demonstrates that two hotly-competitive companies will promise anything to become a monopoly. That, coupled with the brazen lack of candor displayed by both XM and Sirius in breaking FCC interference and terrestrial repeater rules, illustrates convincingly that this anti-consumer merger ought to be summarily rejected."
About NAB
The National Association of Broadcasters is a trade association that advocates on behalf of more than 8,300 free, local radio and television stations and also broadcast networks before Congress, the Federal Communications Commission and the Courts. Information about NAB can be found at www.nab.org.
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