FCC's McDowell says market key to Sirius deal

FCC'S MCDOWELL SAYS MARKET KEY TO SIRIUS DEAL
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Rachelle Younglai]
The proposed merger between Sirius and XM depends "a lot" on how the market is defined, Federal Communications Commissioner Robert McDowell said on Thursday. "A lot is determined on how the market is defined," HE told delegates at a meeting of the National Association of Broadcasters, which fiercely opposes the deal. "I will be asking a lot of questions." "If we are saying that satellite radio competes with free over-the-air radio then how do we define the markets, and how does that affect our current broadcast ownership regime?" "If we say XM and Sirius should not merge because there is not sufficient competition, does that mean there is not sufficient competition overall?" Commissioner McDowell suggested that if broadcasters are successful in making the argument that satellite radio operators Sirius/XM are not direct and interchangeable competitors, at least on the national level, that could affect the FCC decision on allowing broadcasters to own more stations.
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=industryNews&storyID...

* FCC's McDowell Warns Broadcasters About Sirius Argument
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