In the past year, more Americans have become used to thinking of their cellphones as entertainment devices at a soaring pace, according to a new-media survey from Deloitte & Touche.

Deloitte's first edition of the survey (which was performed just 8 months earlier) showed that 24 percent of U.S. consumers used their cellphones as entertainment devices. Since then, a follow up survey shows that entertainment usage on cellphones jumped 50 percent, bringing the total of U.S. consumers who use their cellphones as entertainment devices to 36 percent.

The findings of the survey of 2,081 Americans, conducted in late October, were provided to The Hollywood Reporter before their official release next month.

Roughly 62 percent of "millennials" (13-to-24-years-old) are using their cellphones as entertainment devices - that's up from 46 percent in the previous study conducted in late February. And among Generation X consumers (25-to-41-year-olds), the number grew to 47 percent - up drastically from 29 percent in the earlier survey.

That's a pretty rapid adoption rate. And only in eight months. Now imagine how that usage will grow in the next two years?

Note to Sirius and XM: If you want to ride this wave - stop thinking of your mobile services as a revenue generators, and start thinking of them as a lead generators. The key to adoption, is exposure.

[Reuters]

In a Consolidated Opposition filing with the FCC, Sirius and XM have blasted the "multitude" of filings submitted by U.S. Electronics, Inc. (USE), using some of the strongest language to date.

"USE never petitioned to deny the merger in accordance with the Commission’s rules and thus has no standing to raise anything but informal objections to the transaction," the companies state in the joint filing. "But since the close of the formal merger pleading cycle, USE has inundated the Commission with at least 40 petitions, motions, letters, and other filings in the merger docket."

Sirius and XM go on to argue all the arguments that US Electronics has presented (as they have done so in the past... "repeatedly"), and contend that the company is attempting to use the FCC to resolve a private contract dispute. US Electronics filed a lawsuit earlier this year against Sirius, asking for $48 Million in damages.

"In essence, USE invites the Commission to insert itself in the arbitration between Sirius and USE in order to require Sirius to license USE to manufacture and distribute Sirius equipment, in spite of the inability of Sirius and USE to work together in a contractual relationship," write Sirius-XM.

"The volume of USE’s filings expose the grudge match that it is pursuing against Sirius, and the relief it seeks exposes the self-interest underlying USE’s filings. Sirius and XM urge the Commission to resist USE’s invitation to insert the FCC into this private contractual dispute."

It's a very strongly worded filing and well worth the read if you're interested.

[FCC Filing (PDF) via SiriusBuzz]

XM will start airing weekly broadcasts of classic radio shows hosted by Bing Crosby, on XM's 1940s channel, beginning Sunday, December 30th.

"The Original Bing Crosby Radio Show" will feature episodes from the archives of the Kraft Music Hall and Philco Radio Time shows hosted by Crosby during the '40s. Bob Hope, Judy Garland, Al Jolson, Duke Ellington, The Andrews Sisters, Jack Benny, Peggy Lee, Danny Kaye, Groucho Marx, Lucille Ball and many others will be among the special guest stars featured in these classic half-hour broadcasts.

The show will air Sundays at 7:30pm ET on The 40's (ch 4), with the debut episode starting this Sunday. Encore broadcasts will air on Wednesdays at 10pm ET.

Interestingly, Sirius had a dedicated "Bing Crosby Christmas Radio" channel that ended only a couple days ago. The two are unrelated, I'm sure.

Representative Paul Broun (R-GA) sent a letter on Friday to US Attorney General Michael Mukasey, FTC chairman Deborah Platt Majoras and FCC chairman Kevin Martin, blasting the merger between XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc and Sirius Satellite Radio Inc.

Broun is a member of the House Homeland Security Committee and the House Science & Technology Committee.

He wrote that the merger would result in an "elimination of competition" that "would hurt my constituents who are consumers of satellite radio."

Broun said the original FCC decision to issue licenses to two satellite radio providers "resulted in robust competition and expanded choice for the American consumer, all of which would be undermined by a merger of Sirius and XM."

He added that "a united Sirius/XM would be free to raise consumer prices, unchecked in the marketplace."

Broun also pointed out that the FCC "has never before allowed the only two competitors in a given market to combine. Present circumstances do not warrant the FCC's complete reversal of its conclusions in the satellite radio licensing decision, or the consumer benefits and protections that have resulted from that decision."

[Billboard via Orbitcast Forums]
Thanks N2DEEP!

Both Sirius and XM will be providing on-scene coverage of the 2008 Iowa Caucuses and the 2008 New Hampshire primary this January when locals cast the first votes to determine the next commander-in-chief.

Sirius Left (ch 146) host Alex Bennett will be in the middle of the Iowa and New Hampshire political action, delivering blow-by-blow news, reactions and analysis.

In Iowa, Bennett will deliver a firsthand account of the Caucus results and all the late breaking news from politically influential Iowa on January 3rd and January 4th. In New Hampshire on primary day, January 8th, and the morning after, January 9th, Bennett will broadcast his show live from the iconic Red Arrow Diner in Manchester, where he'll talk with "everyday Americans" about the Presidential primary.

XM's POTUS ’08 (ch 130) will be broadcasting from the Des Moines convention center on January 3rd as Iowans gather for the Democratic and Republican caucuses. Then the POTUS team will head up to Manchester, N.H., for a primary preview on January 7th, primary day on January 8th, and a post-primary wrap-up on January 9th from the Expo Center of New Hampshire.

XM will also be at multiple locations in the two states, including the C-SPAN Campaign 2008 Bus.

Here's a fun ongoing trend: organizations that are willing to accept the burden of responsibility - in the name of "public interest" - by asking the government to mandate that they get a piece of the Sirius-XM action.

First we had U.S. Electronics and Georgetown Partners, either of whom want "open network access" or a chunk of the bandwidth, and now iBiquity - the folks behind HD Radio - has joined the fray.

They conveniently ask the FCC requires that HD Radio be included in all satellite radio receivers, and that a merged Sirius-XM terminate all exclusive agreements with suppliers, retailers, and the OEMs. How generous of them.

Mark Ramsey sees this as a sign that HD Radio is hurting in its efforts to garner support from Detroit. It also might be a signal that the merger opposition from the NAB is coming to an end.

Satellite Radio TechWorld points out that Sirius and XM worked their respective asses of to build that OEM support, and that approving this would be unfair to the satellite radio industry. "iBiquity appears to want a free ride."

And the discussion is even more heated over in the Orbitcast Forums.

It seems to me that HD Radio/iBiquity needs to move more towards the "if we can't beat 'em, join 'em" attitude, and try working with satellite radio. If iBiquity wants to be embedded in all satrad receivers - maybe they should try a different approach.

Obviously HD Radio isn't something the public wants, but they have another asset that Sirius and XM want: bandwidth. Maybe it's time for less vinegar, and more honey.

[Satellite Radio TechWorld, Hear 2.0]
Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

XM Satellite Radio and Warner Music Group have resolved the lawsuit over the Pioneer Inno.

The terms of the deal were again not disclosed, but we know it's a multi-year agreement that covers current XM radios and future devices - much like the deal that XM reached with Universal.

Warner Music Group, the world's third largest music company, as a result has pulled out of the RIAA lawsuit against XM. That leaves Sony BMG and EMI as the remaining two of the Big Four record conglomerates left in the lawsuit.

To cap its first season of broadcasting college football games for all six conferences in the Bowl Championship Series, XM will air 30 bowl games, starting tonight with the Poinsettia Bowl and ending with the BCS National Championship Game on January 7th.

For the first time, XM sportscasters will provide the play-by-play coverage for four of the biggest games: XM’s T.J. Rives and Don McPherson will call the Sugar Bowl. The Fiesta Bowl will be announced by Gino Torretta and Bill Rosinski, and Dave Sims and Gary Danielson will cover the Orange Bowl and the national championship.

For the Rose Bowl, XM will carry the ESPN Radio feed with "Monday Night Football” host Mike Tirico and former coach Bob Davie.

Plus, ESPN is producing a special on the BCS which will air only on XM on ESPN Radio (ch 140). The show, hosted by ESPN’s Colin Cowherd, will air on December 29th at 8am ET and replay at 2pm ET, with encores on Dec. 30th at 6am and 5pm ET, Dec. 31st at 7pm ET and Jan. 1st at 8am ET.

The full schedule of bowl games with dates, times and channels can be found here.

With analysts and FCC Commissioners indicating a decision won't come until next quarter, not to mention only a few government-decision days are left until the new year, it looks more and more like we'll be on the edge of our seats into 2008.

Former FCC Chairman, and current hired gun for Sirius (of the Wiley Rein namesake), referenced this during a recent teleconference with Wall Street analysts led by Bear Stearns' Victor Miller.

"DOJ always goes first in this area," Wiley told analysts on Wednesday. "It is looking more and more like a 2008 decision."

Wiley then added, "If I had anything to say, I couldn't say it, but I don't have anything to say."

[Radio & Records via Orbitcast Forums]

FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein, one of the two Democratic members of the FCC, spoke with NPR yesterday and gave some insight into the timing of the Sirius-XM merger decision.

During the interview on NPR's "Talk of the Nation," which focused primarily on the recent media consolidation ruling, Adelstein indicated that the DOJ's decision could be coming "shortly" and that the FCC's own decision would come in the first quarter.

"We’re hearing that action could be coming shortly but I don’t want to predict for sure, and then sometime after that presumably the FCC would act," said Adelstein in response to a caller. "I think probably in the first quarter of next year."

Of course the FCC Commissioner is using all the safe-words, but it's the first solid indication of timing - aside from various analysts' DC contacts - since FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said a decision would be coming in Q4. Adelsteins comments also coincide with a report from RBC's David Bank, which indicated a DOJ decision by the end of the year, and an FCC decision in February.

Listen to the audio snippet below:

[Listen to the full audio, or read the transcript]