Comcast-NBC Deal Bad for Independent Programmers and the Public

The following is from our friends at the Media Access Project. I blogged about this the other day:

Media Access Project (MAP) has been a strong voice of opposition to Comcast's
attempt to acquire NBC Universal, and has been busy providing guidance to
organizations and policymakers on the complex legal ramifications of the
proposed deal.

This merger would be the most prominent example of vertical integration in the
broadband era - it would lead to the union of the nation's largest cable TV
operator and Internet service provider with a major content provider.

The acquisition would be a dangerous deal for all Americans. At the local level,
it would cause an unacceptable level of consolidation in media ownership and
advertising in 11 of the biggest media markets around the country - including
San Francisco, Washington DC, Chicago, Philadelphia, Miami, and other cities.

The deal would also:

* Allow a new media giant to leverage massive market power against
independent programmers, who already are unable to obtain carriage on
Comcast's cable system;

* Cause a further rise in cable prices nationwide, even as cable prices have
risen at twice the rate of inflation each year since 1996; and

* Have a devastating effect on the nascent online video market.

The merger is now set to undergo an extensive review process conducted by
Department of Justice and the Federal Communications Commission.

Tomorrow (Thursday), Congress will hold two hearings to probe the proposed
transaction. MAP President Andrew Jay Schwartzman will testify in opposition to
the merger at one of the hearings, held by the Senate Judiciary Committee's
Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights Subcommittee.

You can watch the hearings live via webcast:

House Committee on Energy and Commerce
Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet
Thursday, February 4, 9:30AM
Watch
link.

Senate Judiciary Committee
Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights Subcommittee
Thursday, February 4, 2:30PM
Watch
here .