Skip to Content

Exclusive: Rock Band Unplugged Track List

Filed under: Audio, Tech

XM and Sirius planning less expensive a la carte packages

We had an idea that the XM/Sirius merger wasn't exactly going to be a win for the customer, and now we hear that XM and Sirius will be offering tiered pricing with plans that are both lower and higher-priced than their current $12.95/month service. Certain "a-la carte" plans will actually come in at a price below existing rates, which should fit the needs of a select few subscribers. There will still be a $12.95 package, with what Sirius described in a federal finding as "substantially similar" offerings to what customers are getting now for the same price. The soon-to-be merged companies will try to build additional revenue with upper-tier packages that will give customers more than what they're getting now, for less than the cost of getting both services.

Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI), chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights, said that the merger could be a "real bad deal" for customers, and with this news, we tend to agree. When the two companies were fighting each other for subscription dollars, they gave us everything they could afford and some things they probably couldn't. If the merger is approved (and how often are they not) the combined company will slice and dice service cable tv-style, and customers will be left to either compromise what they really want in the name of price, or simply pay more for everything. Monopoly is more fun when it's the board game. We're not exactly political activists, but if you think this sounds like a bum deal, you can always send Senator Kohl a note.

[Source: Reuters]

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Add your comments

Please keep your comments relevant to this blog entry. Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments.

When you enter your name and email address, you'll be sent a link to confirm your comment, and a password. To leave another comment, just use that password.

To create a live link, simply type the URL (including http://) or email address and we will make it a live link for you. You can put up to 3 URLs in your comments. Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br /> tags.

Featured Galleries

Review: 2009 Smart ForTwo
Forza 3 Japanese Screen Shots
2010 Lamborghini LP550-2
First Drive: 2010 Subaru Legacy 2.5GT
Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen
2010 Shelby GT/SR
2010 Shelby GT500 Super Snake
Review: 2010 Ford Fiesta (Euro-Spec)
BMW 7 Series M Sport
Peugeot Metromorph Concept
Review: 2009 Pontiac Solstice GXP Coupe
First Drive: 2010 Porsche Panamera
AOL Autos

Find Your Next Car


Autoblog Video

Autoblog Green

BloggingStocks

Download Squad

Engadget

Joystiq

Autoblog Spanish

Switched.com

FanHouse

Asylum