On Mar 17, 1:51 pm, D Peter Maus wrote:
Note the last CCU Requirement.

If granted, Step One has been taken.

From AllAccess.com
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Clear Channel Outlines Sirius-XM Merger Concessions

CLEAR CHANNEL COMMUNICATIONS outlined its most detailed concession
requirements in a filing with FCC posted TODAY, should the Commission
approve the merger between SIRIUS SATELLITE RADIO INC. and XM SATELLITE
RADIO HOLDINGS INC, reports ORBITCAST.COM. While earlier FCC filings
have essentially reiterated CLEAR CHANNEL's prior argument that granting
the merger would permit for too much spectrum control for a single
entity, the filing posted online TODAY gives the most level of detail
about merger concessions.

"Were the Commission inclined to approve the merger, nonetheless, it
should, at a minimum, impose the following conditions that would be
essential to remain even remotely faithful to Commission precedents and
policies regarding competition, spectrum and preservation of a viable,
locally-oriented, free, over-the-air radio broadcast system," the
company wrote in an ex parte filing.

The merger conditions that CLEAR CHANNEL is requesting include:

* No less than 50% of broadcast capacity be made available for lease to
create "a viable competitive alternative" to the merged company.
* No less than 5% of capacity be set aside for public interest
programming, modeled after the 4-7% requirement for DBS services.
* That Sirius-XM be subject to indecency regulations. Because, "one of
the primary potential dangers to free, over-the-air radio posed by this
merger is siphoning popular, including 'edgy' content, with consequent
loss of advertising revenue."
* Sirius-XM be prohibited from broadcasting local content.
* Sirius-XM be prohibited from receiving local advertising revenue.
* The FCC require thatHD Radiocapabilities be built in to all
satellite radio receivers.

"Ibiquity Publishes Proposed Rule For Merger"

"This represents $100's of millions of dollars if the premium is only
$10 per chipset. How much is the premium in reality? $20? $30? This
information is needed to consider exactly what is being placed on the
table by Ibiquity. Ibiquity is looking for such a concession so that
they will no longer have to spend hundreds of millions of dollars, and
negotiate with OEM partners. While seeing exactly what their proposal
seeks is helpful, there are still more answers that are needed. Taking
away hudreds of millions of dollars in synergies is not a viable
answer at this point."

http://siriusbuzz.com/ibiquity-publi...for-merger.php

"Satellite Radio Facing Bankruptcy?"

"Satellite radio companies have been suffering heavy losses - and
plunging stock prices - even as they continue to add subscribers. And
a front-page story in Tuesday's Wall Street Journal warns that the
worst may be yet to come... Industry leader XM Satellite Radio
Holdings Inc. lost $667 million last year, and rival Sirius Satellite
Radio Inc. lost $863 million. The big losses have shaken investor
confidence in the industry. XM shares have lost 71 percent of their
value this year, and Sirius shares have lost 51 percent... For one
thing, a substantial number of people who buy vehicles with pre-
installed satellite radios don't activate them, nor do many who
receive a radio as a gift. It's estimated that 10 percent of all store-
bought radios given as gifts during the last holiday season were never
activated. Also, those who do subscribe often abandon the service
after a period of time, some switching to iPod adapters to provide
music in their vehicle."

http://archive.newsmax.com/archives/...5/175258.shtml

"Regarding the Technical Aspects of the SDARS Providers XM and Sirius"

"There are significant differences in certain technical aspects of the
two SDARS systems as deployed by XM and Sirius. The systems as
currently deployed are not interoperable. That is to say, an XM
receiver cannot receive the Sirius signal and vice versa. Thus, as is
true today, if the proposed merger of XM and Sirius were consummated,
consumers would still need to purchase a new interoperable receiver in
order to receive the signals of both providers. These differences in
system operation, function, and structure make the design and
implementation of a single unified and interoperable receiver both
complex and expensive. In fact, both XM and Sirius have been working
in a joint venture to develop an interoperable radio since 2000. At
this time, no interoperable radios have been introduced into
commercial production."

http://tinyurl.com/2kek8t

LOL!