On Thursday, the Media Bureau at the Federal Communications Commission released a list of questions and document inquiries it's seeking for its review of News Corp.'s proposed takeover of a controlling stake in Hughes and DirecTV.
The list, submitted to attorneys representing Hughes and News Corp. in Washington, D.C., asked the companies to identify by zip code the number of subscribers receiving DirecTV/Hughes service for each month - between January 1999 and December 2000. Numbers include overall subscribers, gross additions each month, and whether customers are in areas served by the National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative or by DirecTV.
The Media Bureau also asked for information concerning promotional prices, coupons, vouchers, and other forms of discounts for equipment, installation, or service in association with Disney between January 2000 and June 2000.
The bureau also asked for copies of network affiliation agreements between News Corp. and the licensees for broadcast TV stations in San Francisco, Grand Rapids, Mich., Jacksonville, Des Moines, Burlington, Vt., Fargo, N.D., Duluth, Minn., Erie, Pa., Anchorage, and Grand Junction, Colo.
The FCC is reviewing the News Corp./Hughes transaction, along with the Justice Department's antitrust staff.
