“JUSTICE” FOR XM/SIRIUS Satellite radio operators XM Satellite Radio and Sirius have cleared the first major regulatory hurdle en route to their proposed merger yesterday after the Department of Justice green-lighted the over one-year-old proposal. According to CNet, the DoJ argued that competition would not be substantially lessened by such a move, much to the distaste of broadcast groups like the NAB who have lobbied aggressively against the approval of the merger. The DoJ supported their decision by stating that “a variety of other sources of audio entertainment, including traditional AM/FM radio, HD Radio, MP3 players (e.g., iPods), and audio offerings delivered through wireless telephones,” as well as unspecified “next generation” tech would provide plenty of competition for a merged satellite radio company. The deal must still be cleared by the FCC.

WHAT SUPPORTS SATELLITE’S CASE NOW MAY KILL IT IN THE END Silicon Alley Insider says the very reasons the Department of Justice approved the Sirius buyout of XM — competition from other media — is the very reason the companies, to quote, are “still screwed.” The article laundry-lists the competition: traditional radio, HD radio, MP3 players, cellphones, in-home digital music systems, in-car digital music systems, and of course, Internet radio. Columnist Dan Frommer writes: “Traditional streams like Live365 and on-demand like CBS’s Last.fm, Pandora Radio, etc. This could matter more when stored on a device — like the Slacker Personal Radio does — or when Internet radio services make their way onto mobile devices. Or if in-car Internet browsers can hook up to your stereo.” Read it here.

CHRYSLER TO BRING IN-CAR INTERNET Chrysler, one of the nation’s “Big 3” automakers, says it will begin enabling cars with wireless Internet this year. Users will be able to browse the web using signals from mobile phone towers. Users will need a wireless phone subscription (presumably with a data plan).

NEW SPECTRUM COULD BRING “WIFI 2.0,” SAYS GOOGLE Google may not have scored any of that sweet, sweet wireless spectrum in the recent FCC auction, but that doesn’t mean they went home empty-handed. In fact, a new report suggests that Google may have scored a coup that could open the door to the next generation of wireless broadband services and devices — what the company is calling “WiFi 2.0”. According to the report from the Channel Wire blog, “Google has asked the FCC to open up the so-called ‘white space’ of unused spectrum allocated for television broadcasting so that it could operate new wireless phones and devices based on its Android platform, which mobile equipment makers plan to use to develop Internet-ready phones.” Google’s telecom and media counsel Rick Whitt wrote that the allocation of the “white space” could support “a near-unlimited bandwidth Internet service, improving every year as computer and radio technologies continue to evolve.” The idea is opposed by U.S. broadcasters and makers of wireless microphones, Reuters reported.

RAIN READER FEEDBACK Regarding yesterday’s piece on “The Future of Radio” from the Washington Post (here), Ralph Guild writes, “There isn’t ‘a’ future, just a future and like AM and FM some people will like one format and others will like another. Broadcasters have to stop talking about the future and start investing in the ones they believe in before anything will happen. Ultimately, it will be what the listeners prefer and they have no idea what they will prefer until they can try it.”

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE NEW MEDIA/TSL STORY Internet radio users, cell phone owners and social network enthusiasts from young demos might not be abandoning radio as readily as many fear, according to the latest Youth Media Study from Paragon Media Research. The post on the company’s blog suggests that even though other activities have taken away from that TSL figure (iPod listening, mix CDs), new media does not necessarily lead to less time spent with FM. A .pdf chart of new media’s impact on TSL is available here. The post on the company’s blog is here.

OXENFORD: RADIO NEEDS TO BE LOCAL. WHY SHOULD THE FCC FORCE IT? Attorney David Oxenford agrees there’s a plethora of competition in the market now. There are more broadcast stations in the U.S. than ever, Internet radio streaming to desktops (and soon mobile devices and cars), and online subscription services. Then why, he wonders, is the FCC going back on its deregulation of the early 80s (when it decided that market pressure would be sufficient to ensure broadcasters programming in the interest of their local community) and proposing resurrecting programming rules? “As local programming serving a local audience is a broadcaster’s way to compete against the new media – why does the FCC need to re-impose rules to get what broadcasters themselves need to do now more than ever?” Read Oxenford here.

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