It is enevitable because so many people are leaving Sat. The only reason Dish was not successful in its merger with DirecTV the first time around was because of RUPERT MURDOCH, who wanted to buy DirecTV himself only to later sell it to Liberty Media (his now FORMER partner in funding and corporate crimes John Malone) in order to prevent John Malone from taking over Newscorp. Just days later, Rupie apprears on a televised interview calling DirecTV a "Bird Turd." All his machinations to get DirecTV to only sell it to Malone and, probably, getting out of satellite before the "crash." As things are now, it would have just saved everyone heartache had Dish merged with DirecTV in the first attempt.
Anyway, Dish would likely have agree to a seperate rate for rurual customers from rising costs for service since Dish would be something of a monopoly in rural area, but only temporarily a monopoly as 5G and the terristrial use of DBS frequencies provide competition and options for rural folk to get their linier Pay TV in a few years from now.
The Govt. has allowed even WORSE mergers to go through, but in the case of Dish merging with DirecTV, nobody else would want to buy the DirecTV satellite business. I believe this is why AT&T has stopped branding anything DirecTV (as in its just launced IPTV service that is really its DirecTV with lipstick on an Android box via IP streaming pig: AT&T wants to sell DirecTV satellite biz along with the DirecTV brand.
Again, what Charlie has in his favor of Dish merging with DirecTV is that NOBODY ESLE WANTS THE DIRECTV BUSINESS, not even Orby because they are trying to AVOID that business model, and they could not even raise the funds to acquire DirecTV. That leavs Dish as the ONLY possible buyer, and the AT&T would make that case to the Govt.: that Dish is the ONLY interested buyer and the ONLY one capable of financing such a purchase, and the only way AT&T can CASH out of the Satellite biz. Oh, yeah, a merger would be approved, but with a lot restrictions--but thsoe restrictions are usually required for a few years before the mice will play. Dish and DirecTV merge is probably the only way to keep the satellite option operational and sufficiently profitable and continue its role as the ONLY method of receiving linear pay TV services in rural areas. The Govt. would really have no choice but to allow it, but impose temporary restrictions to look as if politicians care about the average citizen.
