11-30-01, 07:31 AM
The National Association of Broadcasters formally announced its opposition to the proposed $25.8 billion merger of EchoStar and DirecTV Thursday.
The NAB said it made the announcement about its opposition to the proposed deal following a discussion of the proposed merger at the NAB Executive Committee meeting this week.
The organization also said NAB TV Board Vice Chairman Michael Fiorile, president and CEO of Columbus-based Dispatch Broadcast Group, will testify in opposition of the merger at a Dec. 4 hearing on the proposed transaction being held by the House Telecommunications Subcommittee.
"EchoStar has a history of challenging Congressional mandates, ignoring FCC rules, and bad faith business dealings - all to the detriment of consumers," NAB President and CEO Edward O. Fritts said. "The burden is on EchoStar to explain how America will benefit by combining the only two satellite companies that compete with cable."
In a statement, EchoStar said, "The NAB has consistently requested that DBS companies expand our local-into-local delivery to more markets. It's disappointing that the NAB would now switch gears and oppose a merger that would expand the delivery of local network channels via satellite to nearly 85 percent of U.S. households.
"By opposing the merger, the NAB would deprive millions of Americans, particularly rural Americans, their local channels and fully effective competition to cable," the EchoStar statement said. "While the NAB correctly acknowledges that DBS competes with cable, we are at a loss how that can the combined DISH Network and DirecTV with 17 percent of the pay TV market could logically be the monopoly they allege."
From www.skyreport.com (http://www.skyreport.com) (Used with permission)
The NAB said it made the announcement about its opposition to the proposed deal following a discussion of the proposed merger at the NAB Executive Committee meeting this week.
The organization also said NAB TV Board Vice Chairman Michael Fiorile, president and CEO of Columbus-based Dispatch Broadcast Group, will testify in opposition of the merger at a Dec. 4 hearing on the proposed transaction being held by the House Telecommunications Subcommittee.
"EchoStar has a history of challenging Congressional mandates, ignoring FCC rules, and bad faith business dealings - all to the detriment of consumers," NAB President and CEO Edward O. Fritts said. "The burden is on EchoStar to explain how America will benefit by combining the only two satellite companies that compete with cable."
In a statement, EchoStar said, "The NAB has consistently requested that DBS companies expand our local-into-local delivery to more markets. It's disappointing that the NAB would now switch gears and oppose a merger that would expand the delivery of local network channels via satellite to nearly 85 percent of U.S. households.
"By opposing the merger, the NAB would deprive millions of Americans, particularly rural Americans, their local channels and fully effective competition to cable," the EchoStar statement said. "While the NAB correctly acknowledges that DBS competes with cable, we are at a loss how that can the combined DISH Network and DirecTV with 17 percent of the pay TV market could logically be the monopoly they allege."
From www.skyreport.com (http://www.skyreport.com) (Used with permission)