A new congressional antitrust task force will hold a hearing next week on the proposed merger of radio subscription companies XM and Sirius, according to a statement from House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, D-Mich.
Sirius CEO Mel Karmazin is to testify at the Feb. 28 hearing in which members seek to determine if the announced merger of rivals would increase or decrease competition in the digital music industry, specifically looking at whether satellite radio competes with terrestrial radio, the Internet and other technologies.
Conyers is creating the antitrust task force with members from the committee to focus on antitrust and competition policy issues. It will have a limited term, extending to the end of August. The committee is expected to approve a resolution to create the task force Wednesday morning. This hearing will be the first item on the panel’s agenda.