FCC wastes no time taking up DirectTV deal

Reacting speedily to EchoStar Communications’ purchase of rival DirecTV, FCC Chairman Michael Powell on Thursday named a review team to examine the deal headed by FCC Cable Bureau Chief Kenneth Ferree. In a statement, Powell said, “I am confident that the review will be thorough, fair and timely. … Given the significant concentration that would result from this transaction, it will be rigorously scrutinized by this team and the commission.” Jerry Dubrowski, a spokesman for General Motors, said that officials of the company expect to prove that far from diminishing competition, the deal will actually promote it. “We remain confident that we will receive regulatory approval once the facts are known about this merger,” Dubrowski said. Meanwhile, today’s (Friday) Los Angeles Times quoted AOL Time Warner chief Gerald Levin and Vivendi Universal chief Jean-Marie Messier as saying that competition in TV distribution would not diminish if the deal is completed.