FCC chairman Kevin Martin will back the merger of satellite radio operators XM and Sirius, and only because Mel Karmazin & Co. agreed to a number of promises that'll keep subscriber fees from skyrocketing once the two services join, and open up the technology to all manufacturers.

At least two of the FCC's other four commissioners must agree with Martin to push the deal through.

But ya know who probably wouldn't side with Martin? Barack Obama. In a new interview with Broadcasting & Cable, the senator, when asked about the merger, said that he's "waiting for final resolution by the regulatory agencies and would want to ensure that the merger does not give the new firm excessive market power or unduly limit the choices consumers have for satellite-radio content."

Given the concessions XM and Sirius are supposedly willing to make to push the merger through, it might sound like Obama could be on their side. But then he's got this to say about Mr. Martin and, in particular, his goal to dismantle media ownership regulations:

"This country’s media ownership rules that both chairman [Michael] Powell and chairman Martin have wanted to dismantle protect us from excessive media concentration. However, even under current rules, the media market is dominated by a handful of firms. The ill effects of consolidation today and continued consolidation are well-documented — less diversity of opinion, less local news coverage, replication of the same stories across multiple outlets, and others. We can do better."

And as for the Dorgan Bill, which aimed to block the FCC's Martin-backed ownership loosening, which the chairman insisted was a moderate compromise? "Chairmen Martin and Powell both argued that their previous effort to deregulate the media market was moderate, as well. Both the courts and a majority of the Senate disagreed the first time. And a few weeks back, the Senate disagreed with chairman Martin again. While he argues that the rule is no longer in the public interest, the public response has heavily weighed in against him. And common sense tells us that the consolidation of outlets in local markets will lead to fewer opportunities for diverse expression of opinions."

Next, the four big compromises XM and Sirius insist they're willing to make.