XM-Sirius approval Imminent.

According to Radio Ink magazine, a “tentative deal” has been reached at the FCC that would mean approval for the long-pending merger of XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio, the Wall Street Journal reports.

FCC Commissioner Michael Copps voted against the merger Monday and Commissioner Robert McDowell and FCC Chairman Kevin Martin have voted in favor, and the deciding vote fell to Commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate when Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein withdrew a proposal for conditions on the merger and voted against it.

Now the WSJ reports that Tate is expected to vote to approve the deal in exchange for a consent decree and a fine of about $20 million to resolve outstanding enforcement issues involving the satcasters. There may reportedly be other, minor conditions to the deal as well.

If Tate votes in favor, that will put an end to a decision process that’s gone on for well over a year. It will also be a defeat for the NAB, which has lobbied fiercly against what it calls a “merger-to-monopoly” for XM and Sirius.

Courtesy of http://www.radioink.com