Key senator urges rejection of XM-Sirius deal

KEY SENATOR URGES REJECTION OF XM-SIRIUS DEAL
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Peter Kaplan]
Sen. Herb Kohl (D-WI), chairman of the Senate antitrust subcommittee, on Wednesday urged regulators to block Sirius Radio's proposed acquisition of XM Satellite Radio Holdings on grounds that it would cause "substantial harm to competition and consumers." "Such a result should be unacceptable under antitrust law and as a matter of communication policy," Kohl wrote to FCC Chairman Kevin Martin and the Justice Department's antitrust chief, Thomas Barnett. Although they can exert political influence over the agencies generally, lawmakers have no direct input into the decisions about individual merger reviews.
http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSN2326781220070523