Press Release
Free Press Joins Bloomberg, CWA and Others to Urge the Government to Stop Comcast’s Takeover of NBC Universal
Contact: Timothy Karr, 201-533-8838
WASHINGTON -- Today, Free Press, Bloomberg LP., Communications Workers of America and other public interest, consumer and business groups objected to Comcast’s proposed takeover of NBC Universal in a letter to the Justice Department and the Federal Communications Commission. If the deal is approved, the combined company would include the NBC broadcast network, 10 NBC owned-and-operated TV stations, the Telemundo broadcast network, 16 owned-and-operated Spanish language TV stations, Internet properties, exclusive rights to the Olympic games, regional sports networks, television and movie studios, as well as an ownership stake in a slew of cable channels, including MSNBC, the USA Network and E!.
Thousands of Free Press activists have sent in comments to the FCC, asking the agency to stop the takeover. Free Press will be filing comments opposing the merger late today.
Free Press President and CEO Josh Silver said:
“If the Comcast-NBC deal goes through, it would be one of the largest media mergers in a generation, leaving Americans with even higher cable bills and fewer diverse, independent choices on the dial. Approval of the deal would be business as usual in Washington, letting the largest companies have their way at the public’s expense. It’s the same kind of industry-friendly regulatory approach that led to the oil spill and the financial crisis.
“The deal is especially bad for people who live in the 12 markets where Comcast is the dominant cable and Internet provider and where NBC has a local television station. It would consolidate far too much media power in one company, with dangerous ramifications for local news, competition and advertising. A merged Comcast/NBC would control a massive amount of content – on broadcast TV, cable TV and the Internet. Comcast/NBC would control one in every five hours of television viewing.
“The proposed merger also threatens competition and innovation in new forms of online video delivery, like Hulu.com. If the merger is approved, Comcast could prioritize its own online content and stifle the free flow of Internet traffic, giving you less choice in what you watch and how you watch it online.”
Link to the letter: http://www.freepress.net/resource/letter-christine-varney-julius-genachowski-opposing-comcast-nbc-merger
List of letter signers:
Bloomberg LP
Common Cause
Communications Workers of America
Free Press
Media Access Project
The National Association of Independent Networks, NAIN
The National Coalition of African American Owned Media (NCAAOM)
National Consumers League
The Organization for the Promotion and Advancement of Small Telecommunications Companies (OPASTCO)
National Telecommunications Cooperative Association
Public Knowledge
WealthTV
Writers Guild of America, West
Visit www.freepress.net/comcast for more information.
Thousands of Free Press activists have sent in comments to the FCC, asking the agency to stop the takeover. Free Press will be filing comments opposing the merger late today.
Free Press President and CEO Josh Silver said:
“If the Comcast-NBC deal goes through, it would be one of the largest media mergers in a generation, leaving Americans with even higher cable bills and fewer diverse, independent choices on the dial. Approval of the deal would be business as usual in Washington, letting the largest companies have their way at the public’s expense. It’s the same kind of industry-friendly regulatory approach that led to the oil spill and the financial crisis.
“The deal is especially bad for people who live in the 12 markets where Comcast is the dominant cable and Internet provider and where NBC has a local television station. It would consolidate far too much media power in one company, with dangerous ramifications for local news, competition and advertising. A merged Comcast/NBC would control a massive amount of content – on broadcast TV, cable TV and the Internet. Comcast/NBC would control one in every five hours of television viewing.
“The proposed merger also threatens competition and innovation in new forms of online video delivery, like Hulu.com. If the merger is approved, Comcast could prioritize its own online content and stifle the free flow of Internet traffic, giving you less choice in what you watch and how you watch it online.”
Link to the letter: http://www.freepress.net/resource/letter-christine-varney-julius-genachowski-opposing-comcast-nbc-merger
List of letter signers:
Bloomberg LP
Common Cause
Communications Workers of America
Free Press
Media Access Project
The National Association of Independent Networks, NAIN
The National Coalition of African American Owned Media (NCAAOM)
National Consumers League
The Organization for the Promotion and Advancement of Small Telecommunications Companies (OPASTCO)
National Telecommunications Cooperative Association
Public Knowledge
WealthTV
Writers Guild of America, West
Visit www.freepress.net/comcast for more information.
