FCC Has to Approve Merger

[Keith]

Comcast-NBC merger approved by FCC - Jan. 18, 2011

I just read this article out how our Government in two different departments had to approve of the merger of NBC and Comcast.

While I completely understand how this could be good to have checks and balances on our media, at the same time doesn't it seem quite strange and the antithesis of free for our Government to have to give approval for an industry to conduct their business.

[mrmurdoc34]

They are making sure they are not forming a monopoly.

If comcast buys MSNBC, NBC, CNN, ect..... then they can block direct tv, fios, all others from airing the stations unless they pay crazy prices. They already tried it once with Vs network. Direct tv refused to pay the extreamly high rate to comcast for Vs so comcast wouldn't let them broadcast it. They did reach an agreement though...

Oh well when comcast bought techtv is went into the toilet so fast is ended up in the septic tank in .000003 seconds. Tech TV was kick butt G4 SUCKS donkey BUTTS dead rotten bloated donkey butts.

So maybe Comcast will run NBC into the ground there is nothing on there I like to watch anyways.

[Motorcharge]

Normally something I would oppose, but **** Comcast. Monopolization is exactly their intent. They're trying to buy the rights to as much cable media as possible to hurt internet based broadcasting like Netflix because more and more people are getting away from cable tv.

And who can blame them, especially with Comcast. Their service is unbelievably horrible and overpriced. Hell, even their basic cable that we got rid of was costing us $60 a month and we only got around 30 channels and we were steadily losing more and more of those as they went "digital only".

[Brian]

What stinks in this whole deal is that the federal government OK'd this merger on the condition that Comcast provide to many(*) homes with less than $20k in income:

1. The Economy version of their High-Speed Internet Service for $9.95 a month – a rate for which the household will qualify so long as it meets the “eligibility criteria” below;

2. Pay no installation or modem charges or fees (although we may use their self-install program);

3. Be eligible for one piece of pre-configured, quality computer equipment (which may include rebuilt PCs, netbooks, or other devices) for less than $150 (the equipment will be sold to the customer by a third-party vendor-partner of Comcast’s, with Comcast providing any subsidy required to bring the equipment cost below $150).

4. Have access to web-based, print, and classroom-based training programs, provided in partnership with One Economy and other current and future Comcast community partners in their digital literacy efforts, including Boys and Girls Clubs, and Urban League and National Council of La Raza affiliate organizations. Comcast will create and fund these programs (although we may seek Foundation and other funds to defray these costs).

(*)I've heard reports ranging from 400,000 to over 2 million homes. Not sure what it'll end up being.

I certainly don't object to a company volunteering these decreased rates. But I certainly object to a company agreeing to these things in order to get a merger to go through. Either the merger crosses the line of "monopoly" or it doesn't. If it doesn't, OK the merger with no strings attached. If it does cross the line, then don't OK the merger.


Oh, and sponsoring La Raza?! EXCUSE ME?!

"Por la Raza, todo! Fuera de la Raza, nada!" Nice folks.

[RedJeepXJ]

I really don't like the idea of corporations controlling such a large portion of our news system, when it gets combined like this it becomes much harder to maintain a free flow of information.

plus comcast being one of the most consumer unfriendly mega corporations can't lead to anything good. The only reason comcast exists is monopolies and they have fought tooth and nail to cut down on competition even funding efforts in cities to ban satellite dishes and fighting against cities creating their own internet/phone/cable companies once one created one with better service for half the price

From a business perspective I would stay away from buying stock here, I don't think comcast can successfully move from a bully position into content which you can't bully people into watching. Comcast will cheapen everything about NBC to get bigger short term profits but in the long term kill the network by reducing it to cheap worthless crap. The stock may face a run up for a few years like the aol-time warner deal but eventually it will fail and fail hard

I predict this will be the next aol-time warner merger in the long term and 20 years from now we will wonder what the hell they were thinking.

and that whole assistance for low income people issue is going to be one heck of a mess, I can't see that being run well at all and I am sure unless the agreement very very specifically stipulates all possible ways customers can be ripped off those "low-cost" computers will end up being much more expensive or downright unusable and way overpriced.

let me sum it up this way, I can't even get a channel listing for the channels I receive without a cable box from comcast despite numerous requests, they will not give this out as they want you to rent (and only rent) a cable box for a total of $15 a month just to get the channel listings, so when it comes to being "fair", if a cable company cannot give a cable customer channel listings; well that pretty much sums up their relationship with their customers right there and obviously either they are not ready to treat people fairly (I really don't think asking for channel listings is outside the realm of what I as a customer should expect, but apparently comcast does).