DISH NETWORK STATEMENT ON SENATOR KOHL’S OPPOSITION TO AT&T/T-MOBILE MERGER

[Scott Greczkowski]

DISH NETWORK STATEMENT ON SENATOR KOHL’S OPPOSITION TO AT&T/T-MOBILE MERGER​

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – July 20, 2011 – DISH Network Corporation issued the following statement today in support of Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI), chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Antitrust, and his opposition to the AT&T/T-Mobile merger:

"Chairman Kohl's thoughtful and thorough letter urging the FCC and U.S. Department of Justice to reject the proposed AT&T/T-Mobile merger reflects the chairman's experience as a business owner as well as his record as a legislator. Competition is the life-blood of a market economy, and Chairman Kohl correctly asserts the harm to competition that this merger would inflict."

 

[Tony S]

I think that Dish forgot that they wanted to merge with DirectTV, and Dish thought that was perfectly OK.

 

[Frank7004]

Arent they also in partner with wildblue and now own Hughes?

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Arent they also in partner with wildblue and now own Hughes?

No that's Echostar, a different company.

Sent from my iPad using The SatelliteGuys app!

 

[yaz96]

I think that Dish forgot that they wanted to merge with DirectTV, and Dish thought that was perfectly OK.

And that merger worked out well, didn't it?

 

[Hart5150]

Kohl was also opposed to the NBCU/Comcast acquisition*, and that went through. All it takes is campaign contribution to "change" minds.



*Yet to see the condition of CSN Philly to be available to satellite be met.

 

[whatchel1]

Not real wild about the merger either. It's starting to smell to much like Bell again.

 

[Peter Parker]

No that's Echostar, a different company.

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It might be more accurate to say that they are separate legal entities. But the fate and fortune od the two are so intertwined that it is misleading to say that they are different companies without discussing the relationsip between the two.

 

[whatchel1]

Here's a little fun w/ the merger. Vids that have been made about it. Stop the AT&T T-Mobile Merger

 

[C1787GJ]

This is from when Cingular became at&t but still funny! ?ATT History?‏ - YouTube

 

[Dr.Pepper]

No that's Echostar, a different company.

Sent from my iPad using The SatelliteGuys app!

Only because a piece of paper "officially" says it's a different company. Sorta like Charlie is "officially" no longer in charge. Yeah, right.

 

[Jhon69]

Not real wild about the merger either. It's starting to smell to much like Bell again.

I have to agree looks like Ma Bell trying for a come back?.

 

[Teehar]

Ma Bell making a come back?? She is 3/4's of the way there now!

 

[Peter Parker]

Ergen controls both and more than 80% of Echostar's revenues come from DISH. In the last annual report Echostar indicated that the perception that they are tied to DISH is a hindrance to market expansion into cable etc.

Scott is right that they are separate but that is not the whole story.

 

[DishSubLA]

Kohl was also opposed to the NBCU/Comcast acquisition*, and that went through. All it takes is campaign contribution to "change" minds.



*Yet to see the condition of CSN Philly to be available to satellite be met.

And, sadly, if the NBCU/Comcast deal can get through, then ANYTHING can get through.

 

[DishSubLA]

And that merger worked out well, didn't it?

It would have gone through. In fact, it was the only media merger to NOT go through in those merger mania years. Rupert Murdoch spent considerable money and influence to kill that merger so that he could buy DirecTV shortly after. Murdoch had been trying to get DirecTV for quite some time, and Charlie usurped him by getting DirecTV to go with him instead of Rupert. The POWER of ol' Rupert is NOT to be underestimated. But later on, John Malone made Rupert eat humble pie and make his life, temporarily, miserable and force him to sell the Dodgers to the McCourts who had no real wealth.

 

[klang]

Why would someone at Dish feel they needed to comment on this?