Comcast Lobbies Hill On Deal
A slick 22-page presentation that Comcast has been circulating on Capitol Hill about its planned merger with NBC Universal -- featuring 11 pages marked "confidential" -- surfaced publicly Friday. The documents have been shared with several committees, including the House and Senate Commerce and Judiciary panels, all four of which will hold oversight hearings early this year on the proposed $30 billion transaction.
Comcast states that it hopes to close the deal, pending regulatory approval by the FCC and Justice Department, within the next nine to 12 months. The FCC review is boiled down to weighing "the potential public-interest harms of the transaction against the potential public-interest benefits" to conclude whether "on balance" it serves the public.
Comcast states that both companies pledge to make "upfront commitments that will confirm our recognition of the need for the FCC to assure an ongoing competitive marketplace."
A section on myths and realities seeks to answer concerns that a combined Comcast-NBC would act as a "walled garden" by discriminating against competing television programs or unaffiliated online content. The cable provider argues in the document that even after the merger is completed "six out of every seven channels that Comcast carries will still be unaffiliated with Comcast."
Join the Discussion
The National Journal Group has the right (but not the obligation) to monitor the comments and to remove any materials it deems inappropriate.
Comments powered by Disqus