News Broadcasting
FCC nixes Echostar-DirecTV merger
MUMBAI: The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has rejected the proposed $ 18.5 billion merger between the two largest satellite-television companies in the US, EchoStar Communications Corp. and Hughes Electronics Corp, a subsidiary of General Motors.
In 4-0 ruling issued yesterday, the FCC said the two companies, who together make up 90 per cent of the satellite television market in the US, “have not demonstrated that approval of the transaction will serve the public interest, convenience, and necessity.”
In an order designating the application for a full evidentiary hearing before an administrative law judge, the FCC ruled that the likelihood of the merger harming competition in the multichannel video program distribution (MVPD) market outweighs any merger-specific public interest benefits. The FCC found that such a loss of competition within the MVPD market is likely to harm consumers by: (1)eliminating an existing viable competitor in every market; (2)creating the potential for higher prices and lower service quality; and (3) negatively impacting future innovation.
The FCC said the combination of EchoStar and DirecTV would eliminate existing facilities-based intramodal competition and replace it with a proposed “national pricing” plan, which would have to be enforced by regulatory authorities. The FCC said the effect would be to replace facilities-based competition with regulation, which is not consistent with either the Communications Act or with long-standing policy, both of which aim at replacing regulation with free market competition.
The 4-0 vote by the FCC marks a significant defeat for EchoStar chairman Charlie Ergen who had campaigned long and hard to push the deal through.
And waiting in the wings to make another possible run at Hughes’s DirecTV unit is News Corp boss Rupert Murdoch whose offer was rejected in favor of Ergen’s bid. Murdoch has outmanoeuvred Ergen on all fronts, whether it be lobbying on Capitol Hill or working with key groups across the US to ensure the merger was scuttled.
Just how determined Murdoch has been can be gauged from the meticulously planned grass-roots campaign that he stage-managed covering consumer and minority-interest groups, religious broadcasters and rural educators.
The Wall Street Journal reported that in February, Murdoch, accompanied by two News Corp executives, travelled to the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) convention in Nashville, Tennesee, to meet group leaders.
The WSJ has quoted Glenn Plummer, chairman of the group as saying that Murdoch, a frequent target of religious broadcasters himself, wanted to impress upon the (NRB) that the pending merger between EchoStar and DirecTV was a monopoly and not in their best interest.
The WSJ reported that before the one-hour meeting broke up, one of the NRB leaders suggested a prayer. The dozen people in the room, including Murdoch, gathered their chairs in a circle and held hands. A prayer was said for Murdoch. Three months later the NRB announced that it was opposing the merger between EchoStar and DirecTV.
However, when quizzed by reporters after the News Corps’ annual general meeting on Wednesday whether he would launch a second bid for Hughes’ DirectTV if the merger was blocked, Murdoch was quoted as saying: “We have not thought about it, we are certainly undecided.”
Still, the merger isn’t completely dead. The FCC now must send its opinion on the merger to an administrative law judge for review, and EchoStar and Hughes have said they plan to file an amended proposal within a 30-day window.
And interestingly, an indication of the kind of lobbying at work is the reaction of the Consumer Union which has slammed the ruling. The consumer advocate body has supported the merger the deal in the expectation it would rein in rising cable rates. “It’s really startling that the FCC wouldn’t lift a finger to help cable customers,” Gene Kimmelman, the co-director of Consumer Union’s Washington office has been quoted as saying.
The FCC will send its findings to an administrative law judge, before whom EchoStar and DirecTV can make their case. The judge’s ruling would then be sent back to the commission for a final vote.
News Broadcasting
Rising Bharat Summit 2026 spotlights India’s global ascent
PM Modi keynotes two-day event with ministers, diplomats and icons in New Delhi.
MUMBAI: India didn’t just host a summit, it threw a coming-out party for a nation ready to own the global stage. The News18 Rising Bharat Summit 2026, held on 27–28 February in New Delhi, emerged as a high-octane platform for ideas, vision and strategic dialogue, uniting national leadership, global policymakers, industry titans, defence strategists and cultural icons under the theme “Strength Within”.
Prime minister Narendra Modi set the tone with a keynote that framed India’s resurgence as a reclaiming of lost potential built over generations. “In previous industrial revolutions, India and the Global South were merely followers,” he said. “But in the era of Artificial Intelligence, India is a partner in decisions and shaping them.” He highlighted the country’s thriving AI startup ecosystem and the recent AI Impact Summit attended by over 100 nations.
Union minister Piyush Goyal (Commerce & Industry) stressed India’s readiness to scale exports and deepen manufacturing, while Ashwini Vaishnaw (Railways, I&B, Electronics & IT) positioned technology and infrastructure as twin engines of growth, especially in AI and digital trust. Jyotiraditya Scindia (Communications & North East Development) revealed India’s ambition to lead in 6G through the Bharat 6G Alliance and partnerships with over 30 countries.
Global voices added depth: former Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo called India’s development “self-sustaining” and strategically vital; ex-UK Chief of Defence Staff General Sir Nick Carter asserted India deserves a seat at the great powers’ table; and former US Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez joined ambassadors from Norway, Germany and Sweden in discussions on geopolitical realignment, sustainability and defence preparedness.
Other speakers included veteran investor Ramesh Damani, World Gold Council CEO David Tait, Vianai Systems founder Dr Vishal Sikka, DeepTech Bharat Foundation co-founder Shashi Shekhar Vempati, defence experts Rajesh Kumar Singh, Sunil Ambekar, Patrick McGee, Tom Cooper and Adrian Fontanellaz, plus cultural and sporting icons Kangana Ranaut, Saina Nehwal, PR Sreejesh, Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mithali Raj, Anil Kapoor and Yami Gautam.
The summit was supported by Jio Financial Services (Presenting Partner), Phonepe and DS Group (Co-Presenting Partners), Pernod Ricard India and Kia Seltos (Powered By & Driven By), state governments of Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand (State Partners), and associate partners including NSE, M3M Foundation and Reliance Industries.
Broadcast live across News18 Network, CNBC-TV18 and CNBC Awaaz, the event reinforced India’s image as a confident democracy and emerging global power proving that when strength comes from within, the world can’t help but watch.
