Comcast Pushes Mega-Merger, But Critics Call It 'Unthinkable'
Published on Thursday, April 10, 2014 by Common Dreams
Comcast Pushes Mega-Merger, But Critics Call It 'Unthinkable'
'These two firms have abysmal records of customer service and unseemly influence peddling.'
- Jon Queally, staff writer
Top executives from Comcast and Time Warner faced questions from the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday as they tried to argue that U.S. customers would somehow benefit from the $45 billion merger of the two cable giants, but critics of the deal are doing everything they can to warn lawmakers, the Justice Department, the FCC, and the general public that approval of the deal would be 'unthinkable.'
For all the arguments from Comcast executives, including executive vice president David Cohen, that improving the "consumer experience" is their motivating factor for taking over their rival, critics charge that market domination and profit are the only real factors. Comcast is currently the nation's largest cable provider and purchase of Time Warner, the nation's second-largest provider, would give it unparalleled market share.
In a letter sent to the FCC ahead Wednesday's hearing, over fifty public advocacy groups told the regulatory body that, “The Comcast-Time Warner Cable merger would give Comcast unthinkable gatekeeper power over our commercial, social and civic lives."
“Everyone from the biggest business to the smallest startup, from elected officials to everyday people, would have to cross through Comcast’s gates," the letter continued. "Given these clear and present dangers and the complete lack of any tangible benefits, it’s clear that the union of the nation’s No. 1 and No. 2 cable companies is not good for competition or in the public interest.”
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http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2014/04/10
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