Comments before the FCC Regarding News Corp/DirecTV Merger

We have several concerns about News Corporation/Fox Entertainment Group’s (“News Corp.”) proposal to purchase a controlling stake in Hughes Electronics Corporation’s DirecTV satellite television unit (“DirecTV”). If the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) allows this merger to proceed, the result will be unprecedented concentration within all aspects of the television marketplace, as well as increased prices for consumers of cable and satellite television. A merger between News Corp. and DirecTV would place in the hands of one owner television programming capabilities, cable network programming, broadcast television stations, and newspapers, and a complete television programming distribution system.

We urge the FCC to act in its full power to stop this merger because it does not serve the public interest. It would violate the public interest in the following ways:

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