The push for conditions to be placed on the regulatory approval of Comcast’s proposed deal to control 51% of NBC Universal is getting louder. On Tuesday, Rep. Henry Waxman, chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee sent a letter to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski proposing a number of conditions.
In meetings this week with the FCC and Congress, the Web streamer will argue that the proposed deal will not support innovation and fairness in the marketplace.
Opposition to Comcast’s proposed acquisition of 51% of NBC Universal continues to grow even as regulators near a decision to approve the transaction. Today, NetCoalition — representing Internet companies such as Amazon, eBay, Bloomberg, IAC/InterActive Corp., Google and Yahoo — joined the Coalition for Competition in Media, a group of 24 groups that oppose the deal as currently proposed.
Sen. Al Franken, who has been outspoken about his concerns with Comcast Corp.’s proposed deal to take over control of NBC Universal, has asked the Justice Department to investigate whether the cable giant was violating antitrust rules.
Two of NBC’s top cable executives not only kept their jobs but also were given new responsibilities, a sign of Comcast’s respect for the cable operations.
Virginia’s Bernie Sanders says the new conglomerate would cause “irreparable damage to the American media landscape and ultimately to society as a whole.”
Exclusives
As previously reported, the peacock in chief will be Steve Burke, the Comcast COO who will become the chief executive at NBC Universal. The new structure envisions a multipronged hierarchy, with a half-dozen division heads reporting directly to Burke. The current layer of executive leadership in Jeff Zucker is essentially removed.
According to a study commissioned by the American Cable Association, which represents small and medium-size cable companies, the merger of the cable operator and NBC Universal will result in consumers will be forced to bear higher costs over the next nine years in fee increases.
