Washington - May 31, 2007 - While the proposed merger of the two satellite radio broadcasters continues to be debated, additional voices are showing support for the transaction. The League of Rural Voters, the League of United Latin American Citizens and the Latino Coalition have all expressed support for the proposal. All three groups have petitioned the FCC to express their opinions.

The League of Rural Voters states that the combined entity would offer listeners in rural communities more programming options at lower prices than those currently available from the two companies separately. The group also highlighted the rural listeners who depend on satellite radio’s emergency and public safety stations.

The League of United Latin American Citizens and the Latino Coalition cited the diverse program offerings that the combined company could provide. Meanwhile, the National Association of Broadcasters continues to oppose the merger, and released an analysis of the antitrust issues involved. That analysis is available at this link. One of the key arguments in the NAB-commissioned study is that terrestrial radio and satellite radio are complementary services, not competing services.