The last barrier preventing the long proposed merger between satellite radio providers, Sirius and XM, was removed Friday night when the FCC granted approval. The merger will create one satellite provider with a combined subscriber base of 18 million.

The approval does come with several conditions.

The companies will have to cap their subscription prices for three years, allow a la carte channel subscription alongside packages, offer more education and minority programming, and allow other manufacturers to build and sell transmitters.

What this means for bluegrass listeners is still to be seen. Hopefully it will mean better programing at lower prices. That’s what the companies promised.

You can read the full story about the FCC approval at the Washingtonpost.com.

Our friends at Sirius Bluegrass, Chris Jones and Ned Luberecki, have an interesting twist on the US celebration of Independence Day this weekend.

Instead of songs with patriotic themes, they will instead feature the music of the many celebrated artists who started their careers as a member of Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys, only to later declare their independence and start their own bluegrass music ventures.

The Sirius Bluegrass "Bill Of Rights" was written by Bill Monroe, but when Flatt & Scruggs, Jimmy Martin and Del McCoury claimed their independence from Bill’s Bluegrass Boys, a new chapter of bluegrass history was written! This 4th of July weekend, we’ll pull out your favorite songs from the artists who claimed independence and emancipated to lead their own bands.

Things will kick off on Sirius 65 Friday morning (7/4) at 6:00 a.m. (EDT) and run through Sunday (7/6).

If you’ll be near your computer, there are a number of online shows you might want to catch today (6/20).

At 11:00 a.m. this morning, Jimmy Gaudreau will join host Carol Beaugard on Lonesome Pine RFD, broadcast from 9:00 a.m. to noon on 89.1 FM in the New York City area. Jimmy is on tour now with Moondi Klein supporting their duo Rebel CD, 2:10 Train. They are opening for Emmylou Harris over the course of her summer tour.

You can find their tour dates on the duo’s web site.

If you aren’t in the NYC area, Lonesome Pine RFD is streamed live online at WFDU.fm.

At noon, The Lovell Sisters will perform live on WDVX’s Blue Plate Special. The show originates from Knoxville, TN and is broadcast in that market at 102.9 FM – and via live streaming online.

Blue Plate Special airs at noon (EDT).

For those who subscribe to Sirius satellite radio, here’s another one worth your attention.

The Infamous Stringdusters will be on Sirius Bluegrass tonight at 8:00 p.m. (EDT). The broadcast will feature a live set recorded last week at Nashville’s Station Inn where the guys run through all of the songs from their new CD, The Infamous Stringdusters, plus a couple of bluegrass favorites.

Should you miss tonight’s show, it will replay on Sirius Bluegrass on Saturday (6/21) at 10:00 p.m. and on Sunday (6/22) at 4:00 p.m. (all times eastern).

Sirius Bluegrass can be found at channel 65 on your Sirius Satellite Radio receiver. They also offer a subscription-based online service, Sirius Internet Radio, and free 3-day trials are offered to non-subscribers.

The Associated Press is reporting that FCC Chairman Kevin Martin has announced that he will recommend FCC approval of the proposed merger between the Sirius and XM satellite radio broadcasting companies.

From the piece by the AP’s John Dunbar:

Martin made his recommendation Sunday in exchange for a number of concessions, including turning 24 channels over to noncommercial and minority programming. That sets the stage for a final vote that could occur any time after Martin’s recommendation is circulated among his fellow commissioners.

The provision on noncommercial and minority programming along with several others — including a three-year price freeze for customers — persuaded Martin to support Sirius Satellite Radio Inc.’s buyout of rival XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. The deal would affect millions of subscribers who pay to hear music, news, sports and talk programming, largely free from advertising, in homes and vehicles.

Bluegrass subscribers to both services have feared that consolidation would result in the cancellation of one of the two bluegrass feeds, but Sirius CEO Mel Karmazin has pledged that the proposed merged service would allow any current subscriber of either network to both retain their existing service and choose from the other’s offerings on an a la carte basis.

Read the full AP piece online.