Is the FCC serious about XM-Sirius?

(apologies for the rhyming. I couldn't resist).

Reuters' DealZone Blog reports that Sirius CEO and Howard Stern's chief benefactor Mel Karmazin has voiced hopes that the FCC would rule on the merger by the end of this month.

At the Bear Stearns 21st Annual Media Conference, Karmazin is quoted as saying that he "took heart" about FCC Chairman Martin's desire to make a final ruling by...the end of March.

On the other hand, as Reuters notes, Karmazin has been wrong before on this.

Karmazin's predictions on timing, however, may prove false since the companies have been wrong before. The satellite radio companies previously predicted that regulators would sign off on their their proposed $4.2 billion merger by the end of 2007.

XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc Chairman Gary Parsons was less specific than Karmazin when he spoke at the Bear Stearns conference. He merely said he was confident the regulatory review was moving forward "in a timely manner."

Smart interpretation of a cryptic comment from Martin, or just another prediction? XM Chairman Gary Parsons was more circumspect, saying that he was "confident the regulatory review was moving forward in a timely manner."

Of course, it's been more than a year (February 20, 2007) that they announced the proposed merger, which would allow the combined company to offer more programming on their combined spectrum and eliminate the duplicate channels that each of them carry.

Considering the glut of radio station ownership consolidation since the 1996 Telecommunications Act and the FCC's new print-broadcast cross-ownership rules, I'd think that anything which strengthens the Satellite Radio option for consumers to avoid the commercial-laden, boring FM radio dial is a good thing. Already, both XM and Sirius have more diverse content than most of the stations in major markets, simply because they have the ability to offer it. Most radio stations, on the other hand, play the same playlists, and often don't even have a real DJ in-house. They're computer controlled.

Sadly, XM also plays more local DC music than any of DC's terrestrial stations.

I'm generally not a fan of monopolies, but this one wouldn't be a bad thing. When you're competing with free, you need all the help you can get.