Another satellite radio company?

[Sct Ptersns Twn]

http://www.orbitcast.com/archives/primosphere-the-next-satellite-radio-service.html


Hot Damn! Could there be something else in the works other than censored FCC and XM radio?


Wednesday, July 11, 2007 at 05:54 PM
http://s87764642.onlinehome.us/creative/images/nav_icons/color/categories.gif Filed under: XM (http://www.orbitcast.com/archives/xm/) Sirius (http://www.orbitcast.com/archives/sirius/) Satellite Radio (http://www.orbitcast.com/archives/satellite_radio/) Regulatory (http://www.orbitcast.com/archives/regulatory/) Merger (http://www.orbitcast.com/archives/merger/) FCC (http://www.orbitcast.com/archives/fcc/)

Primosphere was one of the four companies who bid for the SDARS licenses back in the late-90s, and as you can tell, they lost.
Now, as a result of the pending Sirius-XM merger, they want back in.
In 1996, Primosphere Limited Partnership bid $68 million for a SDARS license, stating that they intended on restoring music genres no longer available in major radio markets. The service would have essentially been ad-supported satellite radio. But they lost, and in 1997 the FCC officially dismissed their application.
But Primosphere didn't give up. They filed a series of petitions between the time their application was dismissed, all the way into 2004 when Primosphere submitted a motion to withdraw the Application for Review.
But the FCC never acted on the motion to withdraw. And in February, right after the Sirius-XM merger was announced, Primosphere decided to withdraw its withdrawal. (Yes, you read that right.)

The reason?
Because the FCC stated that they would "re-auction the [SDARS] license among the other existing applicants" should one of the licenses be otherwise denied. And if Primosphere is still one of the existing applicants, then they are still in the running.
So Primosphere requested that if the Sirius-XM merger is approved, that the other half of the S-band spectrum available to be given to Primosphere.

Primosphere has said they will construct and launch their own satellites (they've in fact already paid the launch fees for the other two satellites they originally proposed), and expect they can be up and running with their own service within 5 years.
"A better way to avoid the anticompetitive effects of the proposed XM/Sirius merger would be to have a new competitor in the SDARS who could begin operating immediately," Primosphere wrote in a FCC filinghttp://shots.snap.com/images/v2.12.1/t.gif (http://svartifoss2.fcc.gov/servlet/ib.page.FetchAttachment?attachment_key=558056) (PDF).
Fast forward to July 3rd, and Primosphere is now asking the FCChttp://shots.snap.com/images/v2.12.1/t.gif (http://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/ecfs/retrieve.cgi?native_or_pdf=pdf&id_document=6519541588) (PDF) to consolidate the Sirius-XM merger application, with its application to launch and operate a satellite radio service.
This is getting really interesting.

[queeby]

FUCK, this means that the merger is more pssible. Right?

[BaLZaC~308]

i would think it would be less likely to go through since one of the big things with a monopoly is the ability to crush a small upstart company

[LiddyRules]

Primosphere: Home of Greaseman, Cousin Brucie and RollerDerbies

[Sct Ptersns Twn]

Primosphere: Home of Greaseman, Cousin Brucie and RollerDerbies


Fuck, I guess your right.

Torrents still rule. Thanks for setting me straight fella. :icon_mrgr

[norton23]

FUCK, this means that the merger is more pssible. Right?


When I questioned the problem with the merger and the whole monopoly thing from what I understand =YES this would make the merger easier, makes you wonder if XM and Sirius had anything to to with this new company.

[weakside]

FUCK, this means that the merger is more pssible. Right?

My guess is it would since the government is worried more about competition than anything else. As long as there was another company, no matter how weak they were, it would give the merger more merit.

[weakside]

When I questioned the problem with the merger and the whole monopoly thing from what I understand =YES this would make the merger easier, makes you wonder if XM and Sirius had anything to to with this new company.

I was thinking the same thing but although I am not that familiar with business law I would think that would have to be illegal.

[NoSurviivors]

Whatever hapened to 'World Space'? I beleive that it's a sat radio co. that covers Europe, S. America, Aisa, etc.. everywhere but N. America. Anyone ever even heard of them?

[AJellyDonut]

Don't the guys behind Primosphere-Clifford Burnstein and Peter Mensch-also manage bands including Metallica, Shania Twain, and Garbage? I hope they fall flat on their faces.

[jackjack]

Whatever hapened to 'World Space'? I beleive that it's a sat radio co. that covers Europe, S. America, Aisa, etc.. everywhere but N. America. Anyone ever even heard of them?

http://www.worldspace.com/about/index.html

[BIV]

Wait, I thought there was no more band width other than what XM and sirius use. So, if the merger goes through, do they have to give up half their bandwidth? If so, doesn't that void the point of the merger?

[BravoSierra]

What ever happened to internet radio? Oooooohhhhhhh yeah. Fucking assholes. More radio is more gooder for ME..... the consumer.