FCC Chief Martin open to more terms on XM-Sirius deal

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin said on Friday he would consider imposing further conditions on Sirius Satellite Radio acquisition of XM Satellite Radio if it were needed to win support of other FCC commissioners. He said some of the FCC's other four commissioners had expressed concerns about the deal, but none had yet made a concrete proposal for additional terms to protect consumers. "They need to figure out what it is that they want and propose it," Martin said at a press briefing. Chairman Martin said he hoped the commissioners would be ready to vote on the deal by the time the agency holds its next meeting on August 1. Chairman Martin has proposed that the agency approve the deal so long as the companies make 24 radio channels available for noncommercial and minority programming. In addition, the companies have pledged to cap prices, make interoperable radios available to consumers and offer programming on an "a la carte" basis. In a June 10 letter to Martin, Public Knowledge and Media Access Project said that the merger should include stronger commitments for set-asides for channel capacity for non-commercial broadcasters and for making consumer equipment to receive the combined satellite service more widely available.