State gets involved in sattelite TV lawsuit

The state of Iowa, 22 other states and the federal government are joining in a lawsuit that would stop the merger of two satellite TV companies — the Dish Network and DirecTV. Terry Bruns of Estherville, manager of the Iowa Lakes Electrical Co-op, has been an outspoken critic of the proposed merger. Bruns says the potential monopoly would not be good for rural America.Bruns says over half a million Iowans do not have access to cable television, and would be hurt by the merger. Bruns says it’s not just about satellite TV, but about Internet access and getting local TV signals to rural areas which sometimes can’t pull in a signal. He says true competition would be able to provide local channels quicker. Attorney General Tom Miller has been criticized by his Republican opponent, Dave Millage, for joining in such national lawsuits. Miller defends his decision to join this one, saying the state of Iowa helped the Justice Department investigate the case over the past year. The F-C-C recently voted against the merger.