A proposed merger of satellite television providers has drawn opposition from Attorney General Jay Nixon. Echostar Communications owns Dish Network and wants to buy Hughes Electronics, owner of DirecTV. Nixon objects, saying that would create a monopoly in the direct broadcast satellite market, depriving more than 800,000 mostly rural Missourians of expanded television viewing, as well as reducing competition for broadband Internet access. A letter from Nixon has been sent to U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, asking the Justice Department to intervene. Nixon says other states have also shown interest in taking legal action to stop the merger.
