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According to a disclosure form, Sirius and XM have spent a total of $810,000 in the first half of 2007 to lobby the federal government. XM spent $580,000 in a form posted online Aug. 14 by the Senate’s public records office, while Sirius spent a total of $230,000 through separate filings. The Amani Group, another Sirius lobbyist, has yet to file a lobbying report.

The companies and their firms lobbied mostly on Sirius’ proposed acquisition of XM Satellite in a deal that was $4.57 billion in February when it was announced. The proposal faces stiff opposition from federal lawmakers, who have disputed the companies’ claim that the combination would not eliminate competition or lead to higher prices.

Antitrust regulators and the Federal Communications Commission must approve the combination. Both companies filed an application with the FCC to transfer radio licenses to a new combined company.

The National Association of Broadcasters, which represents roughly 7,000 radio stations and more than 1,000 local television stations, has said the XM-Sirius combination would create a monopoly. The NAB has spent $4.3 million in the first half of 2007 to lobby on several issues, including the proposed combination.

Under a federal law enacted in 1995, lobbyists are required to disclose activities that could influence members of the executive and legislative branches. They must register with Congress within 45 days of being hired or engaging in lobbying.

AP

Friday, August 31st, 2007 at 1:38 pm and is filed under Merger, Satellite Radio, XM, Sirius. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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