Reacting to the a la carte programming options proposed by the satellite companies for their customers post-merger (see story below), NAB was unimpressed.
In a statement, NAB Executive Vice President of Media Relations Dennis Wharton said policymakers should not be “hoodwinked” by the announcement, “since nothing is stopping either XM or Sirius from individually offering consumers a more affordable choice in limited program packages. Moreover, after reading the fine print, one discovers that XM and Sirius customers have to buy a new radio for an undisclosed fee to reap the alleged rewards.”
“The history of antitrust law demonstrates that two hotly-competitive companies will promise anything to become a monopoly,” he added.