WASHINGTON – A majority of commissioners at the Federal Communications Commission have reached a deal to approve Sirius Satellite Radio Inc.’s long-pending purchase of XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc, the Wall Street Journal is reporting.

The final hold-out, Republican commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate, agreed to vote to approve the deal after winning several concessions from the companies involving enforcement issues.

“I think it’s fair to say an agreement in principle has been reached,” FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said in an interview Thursday morning. “We’re still trying to work out the language.”

A deal was reached with the companies late Wednesday night to pave the way for Ms. Tate’s vote on the merger, Mr. Martin said. Four of the commissioners had already voted on the deal, but they had split 2-2 on whether to approve it.

The two satellite radio companies agreed to enter into a consent decree to resolve complaints they violated FCC rules. Those violations include using excessive power levels on some radio units sold to consumers and erecting several unauthorized towers to boost their satellite signals.

The companies have agreed to pay almost $20 million to settle the complaints, with XM paying about $17.5 million and Sirius paying about $2.2 million.

The companies released a statement Thursday confirming the proposed fines and said that they have both agreed to shut down or modify booster towers to bring them into compliance with FCC rules.

XM received a higher fine because it kept those booster towers in operation after being informed by the FCC that they were in violation, Mr. Martin said. Sirius received a smaller fine because it had shut down its towers while waiting for FCC approval.

“That’s a significant violation under our rules,” said Martin, who had already gotten the companies to agree to several conditions and pressed them to pay millions more to settle the enforcement issues.

“Hopefully this is the last issue for us to move forward,” he said.

Tate is expected to vote on the deal as soon as Thursday. The FCC isn’t expected to formally release its decision for a few days, as staff attorneys draft the final paperwork for review by the five commissioners.

The deal effectively ends an effort by consumer groups and the FCC’s Democrats to impose tougher conditions on the deal.

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