Free Press Responds to Merger Announcements

Washington -- On Monday, in response to announcements that Google would acquire Motorola Mobility and Time Warner Cable would acquire Insight, Free Press Research Director S. Derek Turner made the following statements:

"The proposed acquisition of Motorola Mobility by Google will no doubt have an impact on the future of an increasingly important component of the mobile economy, and we are closely reviewing the details to determine the possible consequences for consumers and the open Internet. The current dominance of two companies in the mobile operating system and applications markets already raises concerns about gatekeeper control, and the vertical integration of the Android OS could impact how app developers innovate and reach consumers. On the surface, this deal doesn’t appear to be in the same league as other competition- and job-killing mergers underway in the telecom marketplace. But for the potential of mobile broadband to be realized, it’s important to keep markets open and ensure consumers can exercise free choice.

"We are reviewing the announcement that Time Warner Cable will acquire Insight. We are eager to hear from Time Warner Cable exactly how this proposed transaction will benefit consumers, and not just help shareholders looking for a merger to soothe the jitters of a rocky market. Time Warner Cable's broadband network upgrades have not kept pace with that of their competition, and the company has a history of trying to squeeze every last penny out of their rate-hike-weary customers. In short, it has a long way to go to convince people that this deal is in the public interest."