Maybe it’s Comcast’s threats against Netflix’s streaming video service. Maybe it’s Comcast’s repeated violations of the FCC’s Net Neutrality principles. Maybe it’s that Comcast continues to talk out of both sides of its mouth to Congress and bully its competitors. Or maybe it’s just that Comcast’s proposed takeover of NBC-Universal is a raw deal for everyone except Comcast itself.
Whatever the reason, in the waning hours of the government’s review of the Comcast/NBC merger, a flood of new opposition is pouring into the FCC.
In recent weeks, the FCC has received strongly worded warnings from Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, Representative Ed Markey, Senator Al Franken and Senator Bernie Sanders about the impact the merger could have on our media. The most recent lawmaker to weigh in is the chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, John D. Rockefeller.
In his letter to the FCC, Sen. Rockefeller wrote, “Simply put, a merger of this magnitude has the power to reshape the media landscape. It can change the way we communicate, change the way we share news and information, and change the nature of video entertainment.” He outlined a long list of concerns about the merger, but in the end many came down to one simple worry. “I worry that a media merger of its size has the potential to leave consumers with lesser programming and higher rates.”
Sen. Rockefeller joined a long list of policy makers who believe that this merger has a high hurdle to clear if it is to serve the public interest. As the FCC and the DOJ near the end of their review, we need even more champions of media democracy and media justice to stand up against this merger.
Read Senator Rockefeller’s entire letter: http://www.scribd.com/...