The Tennessean: Why not let XM/Sirius go through?

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And while were at it, what’s the need for more than one airline? They compete with bus and train lines, subways, cars, bicycle rentals, skateboards, horses…


The opinions are those of Tennessee Association of Broadcasters President Whit Adamson, published in the Tennessean. He expresses the hope that fellow Volunteer Stater and FCC Commissioner Deborah Tate Taylor will side with broadcast interests, and enforce the satellite audio charters which prohibit a merger between XM and Sirius.

Noting that the merged entity would control more spectrum than every FM radio in the US combined, he wrote, “America has never witnessed a monopoly that served better than competition. And if this monopoly is approved, you can bet that other companies will be knocking on the regulatory door, asking for a Washington bailout to avoid competition. Comcast and Time Warner, Ford and GM, FedEx and UPS — all could be seemingly combined if this precedent-setting monopoly is given the green light.”

RBR/TVBR observation: Some of Adamson’s arguments reminded us of, well, us. So we’ll use his words for today’s observation. Noting the laundry list of alleged competitors proponents of the merger love to trot out, Adamson said, “Under that absurd analogy, they might include elevator music and high school marching bands as musical competitors. Indeed, such a wild characterization could be used to justify a number of other monopoly formations. Why not then allow the merger of Delta, United, American and U.S. Airways — all under the guise that the newly formed airline monopoly would also compete with Amtrak trains, Greyhound buses, Toyota automobiles and Schwinn bicycles?”