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Technology Liberation Front: The Technology Liberation Front » Archive » Day 505: The XM-Sirius Circus Is Finally Over

Steve R. · 1 year ago

While I have to agree that "The episode was not the FCC’s finest hour." Your post misses a very crucial point, that is the role of private industry itself in frustrating the operation of the free market. To a degree you recognize this "The FCC, by contrast, is a political animal, besieged - and often co-opted - by competing industries and interests." In this case private industry co-opted the FCC. You may even have a valid point that the FCC should not be involved in merger activity. (TechDirt>/a> has a good number of articles on how terrestrial broadcast industry has obstructed this merger.)

True, it is fair to point a finger of blame at the FCC, since the FCC is supposed to be the "big" decision maker and it is not doing its job well. But let us not neglect the sad and inappropriate role of private industry in delaying this merger either.
James Gattuso · 1 year ago

No disagreement here. If you've seen my other posts on the issue, you'll see I've been pretty critical of the broadcasters in particular. But, as you say, that doesn't let the FCC off the hook. Policymakers need to stand up to such nonsense, not become enablers of it.