>Mandated? No, no one in the guvmint told them to merge. XM and Sirius had >to fight to get that. I suppose it would have been better that one or both >of them went out of business instead, right?
You have blinders on. Within the very same email you confirm what I wrote. You words are... >Only 4 companies applied for the 2 measly licenses the FCC >was doling out with their depression era thinking. Both XM and Sirius paid >$80,000,000 each for that, and this is the thanks they get. To restate your words: The government decreed that there would be an oligopoly with only two players. They kept other players out. They created an $80,000,000 barrier to entry. This is the worse kind of economic policy. This is not government regulation. This is the government picking winners and losers and effectively selling a license to allow companies to prey on citizens. How many web sites would there be if the government charged each an $80,000,0000 license fee? ************************************************************************* ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *************************************************************************
