Satellite radio just became a monopoly

The Justice Department has just announced approval of a deal for the only two satellite radio companies -- Sirius and XM -- to merge.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Justice Department approved Sirius Satellite Radio's $5 billion buyout of rival XM Satellite Radio on Monday, saying the deal was unlikely to hurt competition or consumers.

The deal was approved despite opposition from consumer groups and an intense lobbying campaign by the land-based radio industry.

The buyout received shareholder approval in November. The companies said the merger will save hundreds of millions of dollars in operating costs - savings that will ultimately benefit their customers.

The Justice Department, in a lengthy news release explaining its decision, said the two companies compete not just with each other but also with other forms of radio and entertainment.

The Justice Department under Bush probably can't even spell antitrust, let anyone recognize a case of it.

Apparently having just one choice in satellite radio is OK because if you don't like the one company you can always just listen to commercial radio or watch TV or pick your nose.

This is like saying it's OK to have just one cable TV company in America because you can always just watch the networks.