Washington - Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) on Wednesday sent a letter to leaders of the House Judiciary Committee, asking that a hearing be held on the proposed merger of the nation's two satellite radio providers, XM and Sirius, Billboard reported.

"A hearing on this matter would help Members ascertain important information about the potential positive and negative commercial consequences resulting from a merger between these two companies," Goodlatte wrote, in his letter to House Judiciary chairman John Conyers (D-Mich.) and ranking member Lamar Smith (R-Tex.).

The letter goes on to single out issues such as whether services like Internet radio and music downloading should be viewed as in the same "relevant market" as satellite radio, when considering potential anticompetitive ramifications of the deal.

Goodlatte also recently introduced bills that would eliminate taxes on Internet access and e-commerce, and ensure that satellite TV subscribers have access to local broadcast network channels.

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http://tinyurl.com/25sd3l (Billboard.biz)

http://www.house.gov/goodlatte