Comcast-TWC merger worries, outrages consumers

[jsr]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/comcast-twc-merger-worries-outrages-consumers/2014/02/14/6f5cb4da-9543-11e3-9e13-770265cf4962_story.html

Comcast-TWC merger worries, outrages consumers
By Associated Press, Updated: Friday, February 14, 12:44 AM

LOS ANGELES — Comcast and Time Warner Cable regularly rank at the bottom of the pay TV industry when it comes to customer satisfaction. So it didn’t take long for customers to take to the Internet to vent frustrations over high prices, spotty service and fears of a monopoly after Comcast announced its $45 billion purchase of Time Warner Cable.

Outrage that these two big cable companies would join hands to form an even more massive entity spurred a cascade of sarcastic tweets and satirical memes: the killer Death Star battle station from “Star Wars,” the evil Eye of Sauron from “The Lord of the Rings,” and a “South Park” snippet where character Eric Cartman and friends are tormented by cable employees before a logo curiously similar to Time Warner Cable’s own.

Consumers weren’t buying the assertion of Comcast CEO Brian Roberts that the combination, which will have 30 million TV and Internet subscribers, would be “pro-consumer and pro-competitive.”

Using a contorted logic, the two companies are expected to argue to anti-trust regulators that the fact they don’t directly compete against each other in many parts of America shows the deal won’t reduce competition and therefore should be approved.

[Skittles]

1. jeez, maybe consumers will finally wake the f*** up

yes INDEED

[DianaForRussFeingold]

2. K&R We need more choices, more competition...Not less!

[Enthusiast]

6. That would be my assessment to a T.

[blkmusclmachine]

3. ,

,

[NBachers]

4. Break 'em up into tiny little pieces- pulverize 'em

[mtnester]

5. ^This right here

[Enthusiast]

7. After using Time Warner as my cable supplier for a period of time

I can now state unequivocally they could give a flying fuck if I am a satisfied customer. I'm sure such a merger would improve their attitude.

[Victor_c3]

8. I moved 6 months ago from one side of the Hudson River to the other side

The previous side had comcast and this side has time warner. Compared to time warner, comcast was awesome and was a dream to deal with. If I could, I'd go back to comcast in a heartbeat.

I doubt that this'll happen, but maybe time warner will become more like comcast?

[SamKnause]

9. The powers that be love monopolies.

Monopolies equal zero choice.