Two powerful members of the House of Representatives have told FCC chairman Kevin Martin that satellite radio receivers of the future must not exclude HD Radio, iPods, Internet connectivity or other technology if the FCC permits Sirius and XM to merge.In a two-page letter sent Thursday (May 1), House Commerce Committee chairman John Dingell (D-Mich.) and Telecommunications Subcommittee chairman Ed Markey (D-Mass.) said they took no position on whether the FCC should approve the proposed merger between the satcasters but that if the FCC does approve the merger, “We believe the public interest requires it to take concrete steps to protect consumers.”
The pair said the FCC should require the merged entity to adhere to its a la carte pricing offer already submitted to the commission so that it “does not take advantage of consumers by leveraging its position as sole provider of satellite radio services by raising prices.” They also said the new entity should be required to “permit any device manufacturer to develop equipment that can deliver the company’s satellite radio service. Device manufacturers should also be permitted to incorporate in satellite radio receivers any other technology that would not result in harmful interference with the merged company’s network, including [HD] radio technology, iPod ports, Internet connectivity or other technology.” The politicians said that requirement “would serve to promote competitiveness, protect consumers and spur technological innovation.”
They added that the FCC should ensure that “consumers have unfettered access to these devices" and that the satcaster be barred from making any exclusive deals with device manufacturers.
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