Wednesday, May 26, 2010
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Sen. Herb Kohl, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, today wrote the Justice Department and the FCC to raise concerns about Comcast’s proposed takeover of NBC Universal and recommend conditions to help alleviate potential harms of the merger.
Joel Kelsey, policy analyst for Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports, made the following statement:
“Senator Kohl should be commended for stepping up to the plate for consumers. We’re very skeptical that this merger can be justified, even with conditions, but this is a good step down a long road to figure out if some of the harms could be eased. This merger would let the country’s biggest cable TV and Internet access provider take control of one of the America’s biggest media companies, which could be a recipe for disaster. This merged giant has great potential to lead to higher cable and broadband bills for consumers, less competition in online video, and less diversity among the programming choices for viewers.”
Media contact:
David Butler, 202-462-6262