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| National Grange News |
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National needs your stories about satellite radio |
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JUNE 2007 -- The two national commercial satellite radio providers XM and Sirius have recently proposed to merge in order to be come one company. Evaluation of this merger for its potential impact on antitrust laws is pending before the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Communications Commission.
Satellite radio service is different from traditional ground based, radio broadcasting. Satellite radio is currently provided on a subscription basis, offers hundreds of channels with various formats, and is broadcast nationwide via satellites. The National Grange is seeking real life, personal stories regarding how satellite radio affects the lives of farmers and rural citizens. These real life experiences will become part of the packet of information we will compile about the potential impacts of this merger on rural America for federal regulatory officials. The National Grange is conducting this member survey because the National Grange is recognized as the most logical, respected and credible source of real life, grassroots generated stories that can illustrate the value of satellite radio in rural communities.
Your voice and your experiences regarding satellite radio will be very important to make sure that whether or not the merger is approved or disapproved, the voice of rural America has been heard in the regulatory proceedings.
Your unique stories about using satellite radio in your personal or business life may become part of the official record for the Department of Justice or the Federal Communications Commission as they work to evaluate the economic and competitive impacts of this proposed merger. Please write brief stories or examples of how you use satellite radio or how satellite radio is being used by other persons in your family or in your rural/farming communities. Please send these stories to the National Grange at sjohnson@nationalgrange.org by Wednesday, June 6, 2007. Your personal contact information will be edited out of the stories to protect your privacy, unless we contact you and ask for specific permission to disclose your identity.
Possible story themes are:
• Satellite radio gives us access to important radio programming that affects the growth or operation of my farm or small rural business that isn't available on traditional broadcast radio in my community.
• Satellite radio provides greater access to news and information than traditional broadcast radio in my community that can help me in an emergency situation in a remote area.
If you have any questions or comments please contact Legislative Program Assistant Samantha Johnson by e-mail: sjohnson@nationalgrange.org by fax: 202-347-1091 or by phone: 1-888-4GRANGE, ext 109.
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